Sunday Convo: Daniel Dubois Has Officially Arrived

On Saturday night, in front of a reported crowd of 98,128 inside Wembley Stadium in London, UK, IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) destroyed former two-time unified champion Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) in just five rounds. Dubois, a +280 underdog right before the ringwalks, wouldn’t allow the scorecards to rob him of his victory, making Saturday’s knockout his official arrival to the next level.

Dubois’ Path Hasn’t Been Easy

Dubois’ career has been filled with detours, and it appeared that he would potentially not reach his final destination of becoming a world champion. In November 2020, during his 16^th fight, Joe Joyce and his huge punching power broke Dubois’ orbital bone underneath his left eye, causing it to swell quickly, making him a one-eyed fighter. After taking a ton of punishment, Dubois would take a knee, and the fight would end in the tenth round. Three years later, Dubois faced unified champion Oleksandr Usyk, and although it was a close fight, Usyk scored the ninth-round stoppage. Those two defeats would have discouraged the average fighter from continuing his career, but not Dubois.

Although the Usyk fight was a disappointing loss, Dubois got right back out there four months later and stopped Jarrell Miller in the tenth and final round. That victory would set up an IBF interim title fight with then-champion Filip Hrgovic. Dubois served up a savage beatdown on Hrgovic, leading to an eighth-round stoppage. Although Dubois had those two significant victories, the oddsmakers weren’t ready to make him a favorite against Joshua. Once again, Dubois had to prove that those who said he would be the next British heavyweight champion before the Joyce fight in 2020 were correct.

Ringwalks Gave Us A Sneak Peek Of What Was To Come

Two things stood out when the main event fighters walked down the aisle: Dubois confidently made his way into the ring with undeniable swagger, and Joshua appeared to be walking towards his funeral. It reminded me of the first Roberto Duran vs. Sugar Ray Leonard fight as Duran had all the confidence in the world while Leonard looked like he had seen a ghost. When both men finally made it to the ring, there was still some doubt of what would happen during the fight, which had everyone on the edge of their seats.

When the bell rang, and Dubois landed the first left jab, the fight was over. Referring back to the Duran-Leonard fight, Sugar Ray would famously say on the 30 for 30 No Mas documentary, “Every time he hit me, he hurt me.” That is what it looked like, as every time Dubois landed a punch, Joshua’s legs buckled. Although Joshua was pumping his left jab, he wasn’t doing it confidently. Dubois kept looking toward his corner for instructions as if he needed reassurance that what he was seeing was actually happening. Then towards the end of the round, Dubois landed a massive, looping overhand right that sent Joshua crashing to the canvas and Conor McGregor sitting ringside, nearly off his feet. The building was in shock. Joshua got up, but he was knocked out on his feet. The bell rang, saving Joshua from a first-round knockout.

In the second round, Dubois was just having his way. Joshua’s head would snap back after every Dubois punch, and the 34-year-old heavyweight appeared to be a shell of who he once was. After the round was over, Ben Davison would give his instructions, but Joshua did not seem to be listening as he still looked buzzed. Dubois would land a right hand at the start of the third round which had Joshua hurt almost instantaneously. Then with five seconds left in the round, Dubois landed a left hook that sent Joshua tumbling towards the ropes and down, but he got up, barely beating the ten count.

At the beginning of the fourth round, Dubois jumped on Joshua immediately by landing a left hook, sending Joshua down again. After watching the fight again, you will notice that Ben Davison was high on the steps with the towel in his right hand as if he was ready to throw it in. Joshua would survive the round but was beaten around the ring. The fifth round is where things got interesting. Joshua landed a torpedo of a right hand on Dubois, whose left leg buckled in as he was hurt. Sensing that his moment was now, Joshua tried to jump on him, but Dubois would land two straight counter right hands, with the second sending Joshua down. Ben Davison threw in the towel right before the referee counted ten, which didn’t matter as Joshua could not beat the count, leading to Dubois retaining his title by knockout.

What’s Next For Dubois & Joshua?

During the post-fight press conference, it was said that there is a rematch clause in place. Rick Glaser posted on X that Joshua wants to exercise that rematch clause. With it being such a one-sided fight, it will be hard to justify a rematch. Frank Warren mentioned that Dubois may return in December and that there are many options if he doesn’t fight Joshua again. Joseph Parker, Zhilei Zhang, Andy Ruiz (if he is healthy), Otto Wallin, and others are potential opponents. The Zhang fight would be very intriguing, and given that both are with Queensberry, that could be the easiest one to make.

If Joshua doesn’t take the rematch, he could face Deontay Wilder, Zhang, or the rematch with Joseph Parker. There are options for Joshua, but at this point in his career, he has to be matched carefully unless he feels his time in boxing will end within the next two years. Whoever he fights, it will draw a big crowd in the UK like it did on Saturday night.

My Three Cents

Dubois has now become a star in the UK overnight. He beat up the domestic darling in Joshua with ruthless aggression. His fights moving forward will be heavily watched, and this may be another example of a fighter who took his losses and turned them into experiences, leading himself to stardom.

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is the founder of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms to include online, network TV and promotional companies. He is an American Public University alumnus and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, contributed to FanSidedMMA and ProBoxTV.

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