Daniel Dubois has sensationally knocked out Anthony Joshua within five rounds to retain his IBF heavyweight title in front of 96,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.
Having been elevated to champion status through winning the interim belt versus Filip Hrgovic in June, there was a feeling that Dubois had not necessarily proven himself on the world stage.
However, that is no longer in doubt, the 27-year-old denoting a humongous right hand on Joshua’s chin towards the end of the first round that dictated the remainder of an absorbing contest.
Joshua deserves credit for staying competitive as long as he did, somehow threatening to turn the tables in a fight where he had largely been on the back foot.
When he hurt Dubois with a right hand in the fifth, there was a sense that the pendulum was swinging and that the end may be nigh for Dubois, who was visibly blowing at the end of the fourth.
Within no more than 15 seconds, though, Joshua had walked onto a mammoth right hand from Dubois that sent him tumbling to the canvas, his body completely out of his control as he valiantly bid to rise to his feet.
Even had he made the count, trainer Ben Davison had raced across the ring to save Joshua from himself, Dubois left to celebrate an iconic victory that will stand the test of time in the modern-day era.
Dubois may have been found wanting on the big stage in the past, but this was a performance that will legitimise his standing on a world level for the remainder of his career.
While there will be a debate over whether Joshua should retire, he holds the right to trigger a rematch clause should he so wish.
Source: Norvanreports