Anthony Joshua was visibly distraught after being floored by Daniel Dubois in a devastating fifth-round knockout.
Despite making it to the fifth round, Joshua was sent crashing down three times before he was counted out on his fourth trip to the canvas in their heavyweight bout.
The former champ faced up to his defeat with raw honesty post-fight, stating: “The opponent. Credit to him and his team, we rolled the dice at success and we come up short. But I want to say everyone at Wembley, I appreciate you coming out this evening.”
READ MORE: Daniel Dubois knocks out Anthony Joshua in Wembley mega fight – ‘Tyson Fury is next’
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(Image: PA)
He continued with visible frustration, saying: “You know I’m p***ed, you know I’m ready to kick off in the ring but I’m going to keep my cool and keep very professional and give the respect to my opponent.”
Joshua elaborated on his fighter spirit saying: “You know what it is, before I came here I’m always saying to myself ‘I’m a fighter for life’. We rolled the dice at success and we came up short, and we roll it again. We keep rolling the dice,” reports the Express.
Reflecting further he added: “If I’m honest it’s a bit of a mix. I had a sharp opponent, I had a fast opponent, and secondly a lot of mistakes from my end. But that’s the game, as p***ed off as I am, it is what it is.”
In the wake of the dominant performance, Dubois seized the moment to address the roaring Wembley crowd, he asked: “Are you entertained?” while anointing himself a real-life gladiator.
(Image: Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
“I’ve just been on a rollercoaster ride,” Dubois declared. “This is my time, this is my redemption story and I’m not going to stop until I reach my full potential.”
He then hinted at Oleksandr Usyk as a possible next contender, who first has to face Tyson Fury on December 21: “Maybe Usyk (next fight), a big shot at my redemption. Anyone…anyone can get it.”
However, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, stirred up the prospect of a rematch despite a dominant Dubois victory, he said: “I’m sure he’ll exercise that rematch clause, it’s a given. It’s a dangerous fight because he’s growing in confidence all the time but he’ll believe he can beat him.”
Hearn added: “It was the first round (where Joshua lost), after that he was fighting on heart and desire. I’m so proud because he never gave up, his legs were deceiving him and he kept on trying.”
He finished: “When you are in there with a massive puncher this is what can happen. He never stopped trying to get up, even when he couldn’t get up. Daniel deserves credit, he’s a real world champion. Congratulations to him.”