Daniel Dubois beats Anthony Joshua: IBF world heavyweight title fight

That brings our coverage of a thrilling night of boxing to an end – thanks so much for joining us.

Stay tuned on Al Jazeera for more sport coverage, including the build-up and live text commentary for the Premier League clash between Manchester City and Arsenal on Sunday.

But for now, this is Patrick Keddie signing off for Al Jazeera.

Dubois’s stock has just risen massively with that incredible performance.

There’s a re-match clause in the contract which Joshua may well decide to trigger.

If he doesn’t, then perhaps Joshua will look for an easier fight to restart the building process and Dubois could fight another IBF contender, such as Joseph Parker, or wait to fight the victor of the Usyk vs Fury re-match in an undisputed bout – if the promoters can make that happen again.

Dubois dominated Joshua from the opening bell, knocking him down early in the first round with a stinging overhand right and pouring on the pressure from there on. Joshua was on wobbly legs for much of the following rounds as he faced an onslaught from Dubois.

The referee should have given Joshua a standing count in the third round as his glove touched the canvas and his legs again looked to be failing with Dubois all over him.

Joshua could barely stand by the end of the fourth round, slipping and stumbling around the ring, but when he came out for the fifth, he came out swinging and forced Dubois back into the corner.

Joshua landed some big shots, but Dubois picked his moment – finding Joshua’s jaw with a crisp right hand that sent him to the canvas again and ended the fight.

IT'S ALL OVER🔥🔥🔥#RiyadhSeasonCard: Wembley Edition#JoshuaDubois | Live NOW on https://t.co/FoiaUucafv: Click link in bio to buy | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/zZEm2Vufy9

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) September 21, 2024

WBO interim heavyweight champion Joseph Parker has said he should fight Dubois next.

Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury do not meet in their re-match until 21 December (for the WBA, WBO and WBC belts).

Parker, who has won his last four fights, suggested he could fight Dubois, with the winner facing the victor of Usyk vs Fury for the undisputed title.

“If he [Dubois] wants to get it on then let’s go,” Parker told DAZN, where he was working as part of the commentary team.

“I believe that I’m the best in the world,” Parker said. “I just need a dance partner to prove that.”

Former boxer Tony Bellew told DAZN that it was “a career-defining fight” for Joshua, adding that another rebuild would be hard and depends on how much Joshua wants it.

“He’s the kind of fighter you want to see – he either knocks you out or gets knocked out,” Bellew said.

“But [a rebuild is] going to take time again, his confidence is going to be shot after tonight. He’s going to need to come back slowly, take his time, and it will be interesting to see what the future holds for Anthony Joshua.”

A last word from Dubois in the ring. When asked which opponent he’d like next, he replied: “Maybe Usyk.”

“[It would be] a big shot at my redemption,” he added, referring to his loss to Usyk in August 2023.

“[But] anyone can get it.”

Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has paid tribute to his fighter for his heart and desire to keep fighting so hard after being rocked from the first round.

“I’m so proud of him ‘cos he never gave up. His legs were deceiving him and at the end of the fourth round, he hurt Daniel Dubois, and in the fifth round, he really hurt Daniel Dubois. And then he got greedy and walked straight onto a right hand.”

Hearn paid tribute to Dubois, who he said has often been doubted.

“He deserves credit now as a real world champion, because that was a great performance.”

He added that Joshua would likely trigger the re-match clause to fight Dubois again.

“I think that’s a given,” he said.

Joshua gets on the mic – he showed unbelievable heart and endurance in there against such an onslaught from Dubois.

“Credit to him and his team. We rolled the dice but we came up short,” Joshua said.

“I’m p***** [off with myself]. I’m ready to kick off in the ring. But I’m going to keep professional and pay respect to my opponent,” he said, dismissing any notions of retirement.

“I rolled the dice at success but came up short. But I will keep rolling the dice.”

When asked about what went wrong, Joshua said it was a mix of things.

“I had a sharp opponent but I also made a lot of mistakes. But that’s the game. It is what it is.”

Some more quotes from Dubois, although not too many from a man of few words.

“I want to go to the top level of this game and reach my full potential. Behind the scenes, I’ve been working hard, with all my family and my team. They’ve all helped me,” he said.

“I’m not going to stop until I reach my full potential.”

His promoter, Frank Warren, says his fighter “needs to stay busy”.

“We’re going to sit down and think about it and we will have to see what the outcome is in the December 21 fight [between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury] … And he can improve. There is more to come from him.”

A big upset and an amazing performance from Dubois. He had Joshua shaken from the very first bell.

Dubois is speaking in the ring. He screams to the crowd, who were mostly behind Joshua: “Are you not entertained?”

Wembley Stadium roars in appreciative response.

“I’m a gladiator,” he says. “I’m a warrior to the bitter end.”

Joshua comes out all guns blazing, throwing huge shots and backing up Dubois.

He forces Dubois into a corner and lands a big right overhand, then lands another.

But just as it looks like Joshua is mounting a massively unlikely comeback, Dubois catches him with a right.

Joshua throws an uppercut with Dubois backed into the corner, but Dubois counters by landing a beautifully timed short right flush on the jaw and sends Joshua to the canvas – and this time, there is no getting up.

The referee gives him the full 10-second count to stand up. Joshua tries to leverage himself up with his head but his legs and arms are gone and the referee ends the fight.

Dubois unleashes more brutal shots to the body and Joshua is stumbling all over the ring – how is he staying upright?

Joshua slips to the canvas as he evades an on-rushing Dubois. He then eats a huge left hook but manages to stay standing on teetering legs.

He desperately tries to cling to Dubois to slow down the fight.

Joshua recovers a little, fires a nice jab and sticks his tongue out at Dubois.

The bell goes as the pace eases a little.

Joshua tries to take the centre and fires off a jab, which lasts about five seconds as Dubois again forces Joshua into a desperate retreat.

Joshua brings a sloppy jab back to his chest and Dubois makes his pay with a shuddering left to the head.

Dubois finds another right hand over the top. Joshua is not seeing these shots coming.

Dubois is also changing the levels. He hits Joshua in the gut with a meaty right.

Then Joshua is rocked as Dubois catches him with a big left! His glove touches the ground but he stands back up, and the ref doesn’t call a knockdown. Dubois fires punch after punch and Joshua’s legs are wobbling all over the place, but he makes it to the bell. The ref should have called a standing count there.

Dubois pours it on Joshua, throwing vicious combinations.

Joshua is wobbled, his feet look unsteady, he looks to grab onto Dubois and is literally holding on.

As Joshua clinches, Dubois lands in the clinch with blows to the head.

Dubois is like a wrecking ball, cracking Joshua’s jaw with hooks set up by a snapping jab.

In the last 30 seconds, Joshua takes the centre of the ring and a bit of the sting out of Dubois’s relentless attacks.

I don’t know how Joshua survived that round.

Ding ding, and we’re off! Joshua is in white shorts, while Dubois is in black.

Dubois is straight on the front foot, taking the centre of the ring and looking to establish his jab.

Dubois unleashes a fearsome combo on Joshua and forces him to make a hasty retreat as the crowd roars its approval. No sign of any nerves for Dubois.

Joshua looks to get a rhythm going with his own jab and tries a right hand over the top, but it’s a bit tentative.

Dubois is looking sharp but he’s given two warnings by the ref for using his head.

And then Joshua is down on his knees! It’s a big looping overhand right from Dubois right on the jaw to drop Joshua, who springs up. The bell goes as the referee counts.

A blistering start for Dubois.

Dubois paces across the ring, while Joshua stands in place and chews on his lower lip.

Marcus McDonnell will be the referee.

Buffer shouts out, “Let’s get ready to rumble!” and introduces the fighters.

It’s clearly quite a partisan crowd for Joshua.

A few boos greet Dubois as he bounces up and down, while Joshua gets an almighty cheer from the near-100,000-strong crowd.

They touch gloves and we are set.

The boxers are in the ring but first, we have to have the national anthem of Saudi Arabia … this is a Riyadh Season event after all. Turki Alalshikh, the head of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, is also in the ring. He has become the most powerful broker in boxing over the last year or so.

A few boos cascade across the stadium as the Saudi Arabian anthem finishes.

God Save the King comes next for this all-British showdown.

It’s almost time to fight!

The crowd is chanting for Anthony Joshua as Buffer announces his imminent arrival.

It’s a serene entrance by Joshua, dressed in a very snazzy white robe, to The Godfather theme tune.

He looks supremely focused.

Usyk and Fury are sitting in the front row. The winner of this bout will want a piece of whoever wins their re-match.

Don Charles, Dubois’s trainer, is indeed in the ring with his fighter after recovering from a bout of illness. It’s their fourth fight together.