By Abu Mahmood: Anthony Joshua (28-4-0, 25 KOs) challenged Daniel Dubois (22-2-0, 21 KOs) for the IBF heavyweight championship and lost by a fifth-round knockout on Saturday night at Wembley Stadium in London. The fight played out like this:
Joshua landed 32 punches out of 117 punches thrown, with 2 of these being landed to the body. Eighteen out of these were jabs, and the other 14 were power punches thrown, with one being landed to the body.
Joshua was most active in the third round where he threw 33 punches and landed 9 of these. His least active round was the 4th round in which he threw 13 punches and landed 5 before being stopped by Dubois.
Dubois had a strong showing. He threw 196 punches and landed 79 out of them, 10 of which were landed on the body. Daniel Dubois had his most active round in the second in which he threw 51 punches and landed 20 of these.
Dubois had the perfect game plan; he walked Joshua down and pressured him. Anthony Joshua is used to being the bigger guy and being able to bring the fight to his opponents. Hence, it was clear that Joshua was surprised at Dubois’s tactics.
Through this tactic, Dubois was able to dictate the pace of the fight, which had Joshua playing catch-up from the first round itself. Dubois knocked down Joshua in the first round, to the shock of many who had Joshua pegged as the sure-fire winner of this fight.
Joshua mounted a comeback by rocking Dubois with a shot, but this was the beginning of the end for Joshua, who, in his aggression, was countered by a devastating right hand by Dubois, which spelled the end of the fight.
Dubois now looks forward to the winner of Fury Vs Usyk 2, whilst reveling in his new-found superstardom after proving to fans and critics alike that he can hang with the best in his division. Dubois has voiced his intention for revenge against Oleksandr Usyk, after feeling cheated in their last fight.
Joshua finds himself at a crossroads in his career, with the Tyson Fury fight now seemingly impossible, does he look for revenge by activating his rematch clause against Dubois or does he start a rebuilding phase? At the age of 34, he mustn’t waste any time as he runs the risk of the division leaving him behind.
Writer’s opinion: The fight between these two showcased heavyweight boxing at its finest and reminded us all why it is the premier division of boxing. With the landscape of boxing now changed, all eyes now look toward Fury Vs Usyk 2 to provide a clearer view of who will end up on the Heavyweight throne.
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