Anthony Joshua had Daniel Dubois on the verge of collapse before a miraculous KO punch.
Former heavyweight titleholder Anthony Joshua‘s comeback story fell short of the mark in his most recent fight against Daniel Dubois.
Joshua won four fights in a row following back-to-back decision losses to Oleksandr Usyk. After a long road back to a shot at becoming a heavyweight champion, Joshua faced the relatively unknown Dubois, who captured the IBF interim heavyweight belt by knocking out Felip Hrgovic in June.
It was a back-and-forth first few rounds of the fight between Dubois and Joshua in September. But the tide began to turn after Dubois dropped Joshua twice over the first three rounds.
Things didn’t get better for Joshua in Round 4 after Dubois landed a devastating left hook that dropped him for a third time.
Anthony Joshua had Daniel Dubois hurt badly before KO punch
In Round 5, Joshua appeared on the cusp of an all-time great comeback as he had Dubois badly wobbled and up against the ropes. But Dubois flattened Joshua with a counter right hand to the chin that closed the show.
It was a devastating knockout loss for Joshua after he momentarily appeared to come within a punch or two from handing Dubois a similar result. It was the first time he was knocked out since his first career loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019.
For Dubois, the victory over Joshua was not only the biggest win of his career but also cemented himself as a global star inside the ring. He’ll defend the IBF heavyweight championship on February 22nd against Joseph Parker.
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Despite the loss to Dubois, Joshua remains a pay-per-view commodity and could potentially return to the ring against another top name next year. He’s been linked to an all-UK showdown with Tyson Fury following Fury’s recent rematch defeat to Usyk.
Before the loss to Dubois, Joshua knocked out Francis Ngannou in a horrific fashion in March. He also defeated Otto Wallin, Robert Helenius, and Jermaine Franklin during his previous four-fight winning streak.
Joshua, at 35, still has time for redemption and a potential rematch with Dubois. As he looks ahead to his return, Joshua will look to bounce back similarly to what he did after consecutive losses to Usyk.