Joshua vs Dubois Fight Results: Dubois Scores 5th Rd KO (Video)

Daniel Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) retained his IBF heavyweight world title with a fifth-round knockout victory over former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs). Dubois was the big underdog going into the all-British clash but would land a flush right hand to chin over Joshua to end the contest with 2:01 left on the clock.

By the time Joshua challenged Dubois in the main event, over 96,000 people had packed into Wembley Stadium in London to see Riyadh Season’s first event in the UK. The heavyweight headline didn’t disappoint, but it was Joshua who would be the victim in a disastrous evening where he hit the canvas on four separate occasions, in the first, third, fourth, and fifth rounds. Joshua would bravely attempt to fight fire with fire, but it would spell the undoing of the former British favorite. After pulling three big right hands out of nowhere to give Dubois something to think about, two big right hands in reply saw Joshua fall flat on the canvas.

Dubois began the first round on the front foot, immediately attacking his fellow Londoner from the opening bell—a right uppercut followed by a powerful right hand sinking Joshua for the first time in the bout. Dubois continued to go at Joshua like a man possessed as nightmares of the first Andy Ruiz fight came back to haunt the two-time unified champion.

Still on wobbly legs, Joshua tried his best at crisis management but struggled to find steady feet. Dubois couldn’t seem to miss against an already weary and largely undefended Joshua. The third round saw Joshua try to turn the tables with a wild haymaker but would find himself on the canvas again in the final second of the round. A left hook had Joshua sitting down on the ropes before falling again. After rising to the count of eight, trainer Ben Davinson did his best to patch up his fighter. However, Joshua was down again at the beginning of the fourth! Despite calling for a slip, referee Marcus McDonnell gave the count. Joshua would be down on the floor another time in the round, the crowd believing the fight was called off in favor of Dubois, but it was mistaken for being waved off as slip rather than a legitimate knockdown. However, Joshua would land a good right uppercut to close the round following a long period of holding. Less than one minute later Dubois would defend his IBF title that was vacated by former undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.

“Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained!” Dubois bellowed in, “I’m gladiator, a warrior until the very end. I want to get to the very top level.”

Undercard Results

In the co-main event fast, rising middleweight Hamzah Sheeraz (21-0, 17 KOs) made short work of Tyler Denny (19-3-3), scoring a second-round knockout victory to snatch the European and Commonwealth titles. Sheeraz’s first attack saw Denny take a left hook to the chin inside the first 20 seconds. Sheeraz kept his foot on the gas in the second to clock off early with a stoppage at 2:05. Following a combination of winging left and right hooks, Denny’s night was over along with an eight-fight unbeaten streak. Sheeraz produced a ninth straight stoppage win.

Joshua Buatsi (19-0, 13 KOs) claimed a split-decision victory over Willy Hutchinson (18-2, 13 KOs) at light heavyweight. Following three 10-8 rounds, knockdowns in the sixth and ninth, and also a point deduction in the seventh for the use of the head, Buatsi was shocked when Judge Grzegorz Molenda scored in favor of Hutchinson with a card of 113-112. However, inconsistent scores of 117-108 and 115-110 ensured the right man won. Buatsi pressured and pushed the whole 12 rounds in a fight Hutchinson showed impressive resilience to see the final bell. Buatsi became the Interim WBO belt holder for Artur Beterbiev’s full world title.

IBF super featherweight world champion Anthony Cacace (23-1, 8 KOs) defeated Josh Warrington (31-4-1, 8 KOs) in a hard fought 12 round contest where the IBF belt was not on the line. The Irishman from Belfast scored a unanimous decision win over the Leeds favorite with two scores of 118-110 and two at 117-111. Cacace, the naturally bigger man, controlled the ever-active and aggressive Warrington, who continued to press in a frustrating evening. At 33 years old and following a third straight defeat, the former two-time IBF featherweight champion appeared to call time on his career, standing with his gloves at his feet after the bout.

Josh Kelly (16-1-1, 8 KOs) claimed a majority-decision victory against late replacement Ishmael Davis (13-1, 6 KOs) in a largely uneventful 12-round super welterweight contest. Davis replaced former WBO world champion Liam Smith due to illness. The judges scored the bout: 114-114, 115-113 and 115-114. The cards were remarkably close, considering Kelly controlled the first 11 rounds of the fight, typically working off the back foot jabbing and looking for counter shots. At the end of the fourth, there was a brief bit of action as the pair exchanged with Kelly showboating. It wasn’t until the final round that Davis let his hands go; one right hand had Kelly holding and running to see the final bell.

An upset opened the card as one of Turki Alalshikh’s favorite fighters, Mark Chamberlain (16-1, 12 KOs), was put down on the canvas by Josh Padley (15-0, 4 KOs) on his way to a unanimous decision loss. The judges scored the bout 95-3 and twice at 96-2 in a ten-round super lightweight contest. After six rounds, the commentary on DAZN had considered the wide favorite Chamberlain to be losing every round. Things got worse for the Portsmouth man in the eighth, going down midway through the round through a left hook to the head. To make matters worse, Chamberlain was deducted a point in the ninth for illegal blows. However, he would attempt to finish strong, but Padley remained elusive enough to take it on the cards.

Adam Noble-Forcey

Adam Noble-Forcey has been a boxing reporter and combat sports commentator for nearly a decade. He has been the lead commentator for many fights across Europe and has recently written for BoxingScene and ProBox TV over the last two years. His video content has also appeared on Seconds Out, Boxing Social and Pro Boxing Fans. Email: 4csportsmedia@gmail.com

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