DANIEL DUBOIS wrecked Anthony Joshua’s dream career ending with a right hand for the ages.
Dynamite Dan detonated a fifth-round shot – after dropping AJ three times in the previous four rounds – to keep his IBF world title and ruin AJ’s dream Spring mega-fight with Tyson Fury.
PAAnthony Joshua was brutally knocked out by Daniel Dubois[/caption]
AFPAJ threw an uppercut as Dubois landed the finishing right[/caption]
AFPJoshua failed to beat the count[/caption]
GettyAJ’s brave effort was over[/caption]
It was five of the most brilliant rounds imaginable.
AJ, 34 was cooked from the very start, dazed and confused, bouncing about the ring and then sticking his tongue out and trying to showboat.
But it wasn’t funny. It was potentially the end of an era. And the crowning of 27-year-old Dubois as bonafide world champion and a menace for everyone to now fear.
There was no brotherly glove lost between the two London heavyweights.
But there was none on show when Liam Gallagher appeared to do a three-song set without newly reunited Noel, so this Idler’s Dream was dashed and it was back to work.
The last sprinkle of showbiz was a rerun of the Guy Ritchie directed promo that launched the mega-money 96,000 Wembley sell out.
Dubois played the role of a torture victim, strapped into a freezing bath where blood thirsty gangsters electricute him with jump leads.
But now he was really going in the deep end to see sparks fly, lock stock and two smoking biceps.
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ReutersJoshua was floored in round one[/caption]
GettyAJ kept getting up from the deck[/caption]
GettyJoshua looks to the ref after being dropped[/caption]
The biggest headline of the fight-week build-up was Dubois’ new trainer Don Charles vanishing for the most critical days of Dynamite Dan’s career.
Thankfully Charles did appear and entered the ring with his charge with dad perched on the outside of the red corner.
But when AJ emerged second – a baffling move considering he was the challenger – it was to the Godfather theme tune.
It seemed like Dubois needed back-up against the family. But he made a mockery of that plot from the very off
After he took control of the fight from the very first bell with a great jab, he made AJ look like the challenger he was, who should have been made to come first and wait in the ropes.
Then -with 16 seconds of the opener left – Dubois looked right over to his father dad and it looked like he was having daddy issues.
But he then unleashed a right hand that almost knocked AJ utterly spark out.
He collapsed to the floor and looked utterly doomed. It was a miracle he rose again and made the second on dodgy legs.
GettyA big right hand comes in from Dubois[/caption]
ReutersJoshua fought back bravely[/caption]
PADubois did not take his foot off the gas[/caption]
The second installment didn’t start any better, Dubois was landing every jab he threw and AJ’s legs were back in Watford, it was like the Andy Ruiz horrorshow being replayed.
But he rallied and recoverd and caught Dubois with a right hand that he had to eat.
Dubois started the third with a crisp one-two and AJ was like a rabbit in teh headlights, staggering around.
But he scored with an uppercut that suggested he was easing into the fight.
Then Dubois ledonated a left hook that robbed AJ of all of his senses and a count from outside the ring started.
Ref Marcus McDonnell ignored it but then Dubois battered him more and more and he collapsed into the ropes and was hauled up for a standing eight count.
As soon as the fourth started he was decked and counted again but he moaned it was a slip – that was three floorings in the opening four rounds, a slaughter.
Then he was down again and that was judged to be a slip and not counted.
ReutersThe right hand that ended it all[/caption]
Mark Robinson Dubois beat AJ to the punch[/caption]
AFPAJ was left all over the place[/caption]
It was almost slapstick and when AJ resorted to sticking his tongue out, to show he was having fun, we knew he was in total hell.
Then Dubois looked finished, AJ teed off and kept whacking him, Dubois looked seconds from quitting again or collapsing.
And then the punch that might have ended AJ’s elite level career came.
Dubois dug deeper than ever and landed the most vicious right hand imaginable.
AJ was annihilated. The ref made a mistake in even starting a count. It was over.
The Tyson Fury fight was probably blown and AJ’s dream of being a three-time world champion was in flames.
In June when the pair of London Adonises met to launch the fight, AJ threatened to “smash this f***ing chair over your face”.
Dubois never backed down, security had to separate them.
But from there it seemed AJ’s old violent streak had been reignited and he revealed a loudmouth down the pub the week before had sparked his spiteful side into gear, just in time to face Dubois.
But it was DDD – who entered dressed like Mike Tyson – who only needed his fists to smash AJ into the Wembley canvas.
GettyDubois defied the odds[/caption]
GettyThere was mutual respect shown between the two[/caption]