• 3 months ago
DANIEL DUBOIS wrecked Anthony Joshua’s hopes of a dream career ending with a right-hander 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.

They were five of the most brilliant rounds imaginable.

Joshua, 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 — and it was potentially the end of an era.

It was also the crowning of 27-year-old Dubois as bona fide world champion and a menace for all of the other heavyweights to now fear.

There was no brotherly glove lost between the two Londoners.

And 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 bloodthirsty gangsters electrocute him with jump leads.

But now he was really going in the deep end to see sparks fly — lock stock and two smoking biceps.

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, entering 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 off.

After the 27-year-old took control of the fight from the very first bell with a great jab, he made the older man look like the challenger he was — the man who should have been made to come first and wait in the ropes.

Then — with 16 seconds of the opening round left — Dubois looked right over to his father and it looked like he was having daddy issues.

But he then unleashed a right hand that almost knocked AJ spark out.

Joshua collapsed to the floor and looked utterly doomed.

It was a miracle he rose again and made the second on dodgy legs.

The second instalment didn’t start any better for Joshua either.

But Joshua scored with an uppercut that suggested he was easing into the fight.

Then Dubois threw a left hook that robbed AJ of all of his senses — and a count from outside the ring started.

Ref Marcus McDonnell ignored that call.

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 Joshua was decked and counted again — but he moaned he had merely slipped.

Even so, that was three floorings in the opening four rounds. A slaughter.

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Sports
Transcript
00:00Heavyweight Champion of the World, Triple A, Daniel Dynamite 2001!
00:23Unbelievable, Anthony Joshua knocks Mark out in the fifth round with one of the great right hands we've seen in modern times.
00:29Dropped four times in total, three in the first four.
00:33Daniel Dubois came into this, all this talk about the dad not being around, his training not being around and the dad being overbearing.
00:38But he started the first round really well, jabbing AJ's head off.
00:43There were 16 seconds left, I looked at the clock and suddenly he looked over at his dad like a lost sheep.
00:49Looked right at his dad and we saw the dad look at him.
00:52What happened next? He threw a massive right hand.
00:55We saw it from Rosette back here and it absolutely obliterated AJ.
00:59He did well to get up but he never ever recovered.
01:02He was all over the place.
01:03There were a couple of little moments, an uppercut that landed and it looked okay.
01:06And there was a time right towards the end that it looked like he was getting on top of Dubois.
01:11But right at the end with AJ piling it on and Dubois starting to sink.
01:15And you're worried, is he going to quit again? Is he going to be knocked out?
01:18Suddenly this right hand comes up.
01:21And God knows why referee Marcus McDonnell bothered trying to count.
01:24Because AJ was done. He was flat.
01:27We have not seen that ever ever before.
01:29He kept getting up for ruins.
01:31Yusek was just pinging him about.
01:33But that was devastating.
01:35That was the crowning of something quite special.
01:37Dubois came into the event dressed like Mike Tyson.
01:40Nothing flashed, no diamonds on his shoulders.
01:42Just a black towel with a howl hulker howl.
01:44And that's what he boxed like.
01:45He was the best he's presented for ages.
01:47Everyone was right.
01:48Philippa Huggins did punch his head in for five minutes.
01:50Adriel Miller did punch him a million times.
01:52But AJ couldn't land a glove on him.
01:55If that's the end of AJ at the elite level.
01:57If that's the Tyson Fury two fight deal blown.
02:00It's a tragedy. It really really is.
02:02But coming back from that is going to take something special.
02:04And Daniel Dubois has just thrown himself way ahead of the queue.
02:07So whoever comes through Fury, Yusek.
02:10That's the fight people are going to want to see.
02:12We've got a rally around Anthony Joshua.
02:14I hope he rebuilds.
02:15He's given this country and British sport and British boxing everything.
02:18He propped up the amateur gyms when the government were all hanging around here.
02:22Wouldn't do anything for us.
02:23He's a national hero.
02:25But what Daniel Dubois did tonight was devastating.
02:28That might be the age of AJ at the top.
02:30I hope it's not.
02:31But Daniel Dubois, well done.
02:33What a night.
02:34We've got it wrong.
02:35Man.
02:36The Daniel Dubois and Dave DuBois stand.
02:38Whatever his name is.
02:39Daddy.
02:40Daddy caught.
02:41They pulled it off big time.

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