Boxing

ANTHONY JOSHUA learned that young lions run much faster when they are hungry in his humiliating defeat by Daniel Dubois.Poor Joshua was completely overwhelmed at Wembley and in less than 15 minutes was the hapless and helpless victim of his advancing years and Triple D’s youth and voracious appetite.Anthony Joshua locked horns with Daniel Dubois for the IBF heavyweight titleCredit: PAHe was floored in the first round of what proved to be a sensational fightCredit: PAAJ somehow survived until the fifth and final stanza when he was finally laid outCredit: REUTERSThe former two-time unified champion was mauled by the young lion that is DuboisCredit: REUTERSBefore the Welfare State, being a hungry fighter usually meant you grew up in poverty and the only way to put food on the table and keep a full belly was to fight for it.Dubois has always had more than enough to eat. His hunger has been for success, recognition by his peers and a burning desire to be a true champion and not just a paper one.And that is what turned him into such a ferociously dangerous animal who leapt from his corner at the opening bell intent on devouring the man facing him.We had wondered if the normally placid, respectful Dubois was really ruthless enough to grit his teeth and storm his way to the top of the pile.READ MORE ON AJ VS DUBOISI was one who doubted his resolve, particularly after he took the knee in the ninth round to bail out of his world heavyweight title clash against Oleksandr Usyk in Poland a year ago.Nobody knows who once wrote: “Never give in. Never give up. Be relentless, be unstoppable . . . be so hungry that it keeps you awake.”You can accomplish anything. This is your time.”I don’t suppose for a minute Dubois ever read that — but he certainly lived every minute of those sentiments.Most read in BoxingBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS’Are you not entertained? I’m a gladiator’ – What Dubois and Joshua said after brutal fightDANIEL DUBOIS annihilated Anthony Joshua’s dream of becoming a three-time world heavyweight champion, writes Wally Downes Jr.Joshua was floored FOUR times as Dubois landed an astonishing fifth-round knockout in front of a record 96,000 Wembley crowd and millions of TV viewers to retain his IBF belt.AJ, 34, never recovered after being downed in the first round of last night’s Battle of Britain showdown as a huge Dubois right-hand haymaker caught him flush on the chin.Here’s what they said after the fight:DANIEL DUBOIS“Are you not entertained? I’m a gladiator, a warrior to the bitter end. This is the biggest win of my career. I couldn’t let this opportunity go and now I want to go to the top level of this game.“I’ve been on a roller-coaster ride and this is my time. I’m not gonna stop until I reach my full potential.”ANTHONY JOSHUA“As p***ed off as I am, it is what it is.“I had a sharp, fast opponent and there were a lot of mistakes from me. Credit to my opponent and his team.“We rolled the dice and came up short. You know I’m p***ed but I’m going to keep cool and give respect to my opponent.”FRANK WARREN (DUBOIS’ PROMOTER)“It was a phenomenal fight, like  Hagler v Hearns.“A brilliant fight and everybody has seen a champion’s performance tonight.“Daniel has shown his courage, his skills.“AJ caught him with a shot towards the end and I was worried, but what a fabulous, fantastic fight.”EDDIE HEARN (AJ’S PROMOTER)“AJ shipped a huge right hand  in the first round and  was fighting on heart.“He hurt Daniel at the end of the fourth and then again in the fifth, but got greedy and walked on to a right hand and that’s all she wrote.“I’m sure Anthony will exercise the rematch clause.”He bombarded AJ with such venomous, concussive, accurate and powerful right-hand punching that I’ve never seen before in a British ring.Joshua, who will be 35 next month simply, could not cope with a much younger man’s grim determination to succeed, allied to blistering hand speed.Anthony Joshua breaks down where it all went wrong in shock Daniel Dubois defeat as he calls Wembley brawl a ‘shootout’From the start, he looked like a bewildered rabbit caught in the headlights.And from the moment of the first of the four knockdowns he received, Joshua must have known any chance of him becoming a three-time world champion was never going to happen.He simply never recovered from those early blows — physically or mentally — and it was all downhill from there until Dubois put him out of his misery.Inevitably, speculation has started about where AJ goes from here.Joshua has had a remarkable career and won the respect of the British public for his achievements inside and outside of the ropes.The Olympic gold medallist — 11 years a professional and a two-time champion of the world — is said to be worth £175million. Anthony Joshua is facing calls to retire following the crushing defeatCredit: PAThe poster boy of British boxing has vowed to continue fightingCredit: GETTYMoney he has risked his life for and deserves.Any sane person knows with his wealth and standing in the country, he should retire now and enjoy the rest of his days in luxury.It is not easy for fighters in the prime of life, who are never out of the limelight, to accept the fading of the light.Muhammad Ali never could — and if ever there was a warning to everyone who keeps the gloves on far too long it was him.Now we have a new champion to celebrate.READ MORE SUN STORIESDubois by his magnificent victory on Saturday night has earned the respect he craves.Dynamite Dan could not have landed on the world stage more explosively.Anthony Joshua has millions in the bank and should consider calling it a dayCredit: PA More

ONE of Britain’s most beloved boxers pleaded with heavyweight hero Anthony Joshua to RETIRE.Joshua was brutally knocked out by Daniel Dubois in front of a record 98,000 fans at London’s Wembley Stadium. Anthony Joshua after defeat to Daniel DuboisCredit: PANaseem Hamed urged AJ to retireCredit: PAAmong the historic number in attendance was boxing icon Naseem Hamed. And Prince Naz – who retired aged just 28 – advised AJ to walk away when probed on Joshua’s chances of coming back. He told iFL TV: “Whether he can or he can’t, I’d prefer him not to. “He’s had his day in the sun like we all have. He’s done great, he won amazing world titles, he’s defended them, he’s earned his dough. READ MORE IN BOXING”Listen, he should bow out gracefully and that’s it, done. Because when he gets hit on the chin – we don’t want to talk about that right now.”Maverick Hamed went 35 fights unbeaten during his iconic prime before losing in 2001 to the great Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera. He returned with just one more victory before hanging up his gloves at 36–1 while not even 30. Joshua, 34, meanwhile was floored FOUR times but picked himself up from the canvas until he simply could no more. Most read in Boxing’Are you not entertained? I’m a gladiator’ – What Dubois and Joshua said after brutal fightDANIEL DUBOIS annihilated Anthony Joshua’s dream of becoming a three-time world heavyweight champion, writes Wally Downes Jr.Joshua was floored FOUR times as Dubois landed an astonishing fifth-round knockout in front of a record 96,000 Wembley crowd and millions of TV viewers to retain his IBF belt.AJ, 34, never recovered after being downed in the first round of last night’s Battle of Britain showdown as a huge Dubois right-hand haymaker caught him flush on the chin.Here’s what they said after the fight:DANIEL DUBOIS“Are you not entertained? I’m a gladiator, a warrior to the bitter end. This is the biggest win of my career. I couldn’t let this opportunity go and now I want to go to the top level of this game.“I’ve been on a roller-coaster ride and this is my time. I’m not gonna stop until I reach my full potential.”ANTHONY JOSHUA“As p***ed off as I am, it is what it is.“I had a sharp, fast opponent and there were a lot of mistakes from me. Credit to my opponent and his team.“We rolled the dice and came up short. You know I’m p***ed but I’m going to keep cool and give respect to my opponent.”FRANK WARREN (DUBOIS’ PROMOTER)“It was a phenomenal fight, like  Hagler v Hearns.“A brilliant fight and everybody has seen a champion’s performance tonight.“Daniel has shown his courage, his skills.“AJ caught him with a shot towards the end and I was worried, but what a fabulous, fantastic fight.”EDDIE HEARN (AJ’S PROMOTER)“AJ shipped a huge right hand  in the first round and  was fighting on heart.“He hurt Daniel at the end of the fourth and then again in the fifth, but got greedy and walked on to a right hand and that’s all she wrote.“I’m sure Anthony will exercise the rematch clause.”CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSA devastating right hand in round five from Dubois, 27, closed the show in emphatic style.Joshua does have a rematch clause and talked down retirement. He said: “Of course I want to continue fighting. We took a shot and we came up short.”What are we going to do, walk away? We’re going to live another day.”Anthony Joshua’s ironic final words before brutal Daniel Dubois KO revealed by coach Ben Davison More

TYSON FURY refused to kick Anthony Joshua when he was down after his destruction at the hands of Daniel Dubois.Joshua’s bid to become a three-time heavyweight champion went up in smoke on Saturday night as he was knocked out in the fifth round of his Wembley war with his former sparring partner.Anthony Joshua suffered a crushing fifth-round loss to Daniel Dubois on Saturday nightCredit: GETTYTyson Fury was ringside for AJ’s shocked defeat to the IBF heavyweight championCredit: GETTYThe Gypsy King refused to kick AJ when he was downCredit: QUEENSBERRY PROMOTIONSThe Watford warrior was knocked down FOUR TIMES before head coach Ben Davison belatedly threw in the towel as the referee waved off the contest.Fury was ringside for his long-time Brit rival’s crushing defeat but wasn’t in the mood for mocking him as he mentally still lay on the canvas.He told Queensberry Promotion’s official YouTube channel: “Listen, it’s heavyweight boxing.”It happens, doesn’t it? It happened to me, it can happen to anybody.”READ MORE ON AJ VS DUBOISSunSport revealed this week that a blockbuster two-fight deal with Fury would have been the spoils for AJ had he emerged victorious from his domestic dust-up with Dubois.And Fury couldn’t help but lament the loss of his biggest payday seconds after the fight was waved off, raging: “Listen that’s cost me £150million, the silly c**t.”His manager Spencer Brown, however, insisted: “You can still fight him.”But an incensed Gypsy King replied: “Of course it has, he’s f*. Turki you better pay me now!”Most read in BoxingBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS’Are you not entertained? I’m a gladiator’ – What Dubois and Joshua said after brutal fightDANIEL DUBOIS annihilated Anthony Joshua’s dream of becoming a three-time world heavyweight champion, writes Wally Downes Jr.Joshua was floored FOUR times as Dubois landed an astonishing fifth-round knockout in front of a record 96,000 Wembley crowd and millions of TV viewers to retain his IBF belt.AJ, 34, never recovered after being downed in the first round of last night’s Battle of Britain showdown as a huge Dubois right-hand haymaker caught him flush on the chin.Here’s what they said after the fight:DANIEL DUBOIS“Are you not entertained? I’m a gladiator, a warrior to the bitter end. This is the biggest win of my career. I couldn’t let this opportunity go and now I want to go to the top level of this game.“I’ve been on a roller-coaster ride and this is my time. I’m not gonna stop until I reach my full potential.”ANTHONY JOSHUA“As p***ed off as I am, it is what it is.“I had a sharp, fast opponent and there were a lot of mistakes from me. Credit to my opponent and his team.“We rolled the dice and came up short. You know I’m p***ed but I’m going to keep cool and give respect to my opponent.”FRANK WARREN (DUBOIS’ PROMOTER)“It was a phenomenal fight, like  Hagler v Hearns.“A brilliant fight and everybody has seen a champion’s performance tonight.“Daniel has shown his courage, his skills.“AJ caught him with a shot towards the end and I was worried, but what a fabulous, fantastic fight.”EDDIE HEARN (AJ’S PROMOTER)“AJ shipped a huge right hand  in the first round and  was fighting on heart.“He hurt Daniel at the end of the fourth and then again in the fifth, but got greedy and walked on to a right hand and that’s all she wrote.“I’m sure Anthony will exercise the rematch clause.”Joshua, 34, is facing calls to hang up his gloves following his decimation at the hands of IBF king Dubois.But the Watford warrior insists he won’t be bringing the curtain down on his iconic career anytime soon.AJ vs Fury fight unlikely after devastating Dubois masterclass at WembleyHe said: “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.”Promoter Eddie Hearn expects the London 2012 gold medallist to exercise the rematch clause in his initial contract to face Dubois. The Matchroom Boxing chief said: “I’m sure he will exercise that rematch clause. I mean, I think that’s a given. “But he’ll need a rest and it’s a dangerous fight this guy’s growing in confidence but he’ll believe he can hurt Dubois. “He’ll believe he can beat him but full credit to Daniel Dubois he deserves all the credit it was a great performance from Daniel.”Anthony Joshua insists he won’t be retiring any time soonCredit: GETTY More

DANIEL DUBOIS is already being called out to his next fight after knocking out Anthony Joshua. AJ was floored FOUR times before a brutal right hand in round five closed the show in front of a British-record 98,000 at Wembley.Daniel Dubois is already being called out to his next fightCredit: ReutersZhilei Zhang called out DuboisCredit: Richard Pelham / The SunAnd quick to react was giant 6ft 8in Chinese star Zhilei Zhang – who sent out a direct call out to Dubois. He said: “Congrats, Daniel. Good win, I am happy for you but if…” Zhang then pointed to the camera and himself in a motion to call challenge Dubois one-on-one before making a phone call gesture. The 41-year-old lost a controversial decision to Filip Hrgovic in August 2022 but has won three since. READ MORE IN bHe twice beat Joe Joyce, 39, before suffering defeat to Joseph Parker, 32. But Zhang returned with victory over Deontay Wilder, 38, in June. After the win, his manager Terry Lane claimed “it’s the worst kept secret in boxing that AJ wants no part of Zhilei.”Dubois, 27, beat Hrgovic, 32, for the interim IBF belt the same night Zhang looks to have sent Wilder into retirement. Most read in BoxingCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSBut he was elevated to champion after Oleksandr Usyk, 37, vacated it to proceed with his December 21 rematch with Tyson Fury, 37. Dubois defended it emphatically against Joshua with the two now lined up for a rematch as part of a contract clause. It comes after AJ spoke out to talk down any chance of retirement. AJ vs Fury fight unlikely after devastating Dubois masterclass at Wembley More

FANS have spotted a moment from Anthony Joshua’s ring walk which proves “something was not right” before his loss to Daniel Dubois.The Brit was knocked down four times before being KO’d by the IBF world heavyweight champion at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night.Fans believe ‘something was not right’ during Anthony Joshua’s ring walkCredit: GettyAJ was knocked down four times before being KO’d in the fifth round by Daniel DuboisCredit: GettyJoshua’s defeat was the fourth of his professional career and the second time he has been knocked out in the ring.However, fight fans are now convinced they have a theory behind his devastating loss.Footage from AJ’s ring walk shows him stumbling and appearing off balance as he emerged from the tunnel.The clip has been shared on social media by fans, with one commenting: “AJ stumbles before he even enters the ring. Something was not right with him.”READ MORE IN BOXINGAnother added: “No conspiracy theory. Just look at him – he is walking so weird.”A third fan also wrote: “You can tell by his face he was scared and worried. I noticed the commentators said he was relaxed but he always looked scared.”Joshua later admitted the fight turned into a “shoot-out” after he was rocked early on by Dubois.Dynamite knocked down his opponent in the first, third, fourth and fifth round before delivering the final blow.Most read in BoxingCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSHe told BBC 5 Live: “I caught him with a good shot I think and then I tried to go for it and then I got caught with an overhand right when I was throwing the upper cut.”Thing is, I wasn’t setting shots up. In a shoot-out like that you’ve really got to be a bit more sniper-esque.”Anthony Joshua’s ironic final words before brutal Daniel Dubois KO revealed by coach Ben DavisonRound by round: How Dubois demolished JoshuaANTHONY JOSHUA bravely picked himself up from the floor against Daniel Dubois – until he could no more.AJ was floored four times in five rounds by Dubois before a thudding counter right closed the show in dramatic fashion.Here, SunSport’s Jack Figg takes you round-by-round from the Wembley war.ROUND 1Dubois comes out sharp with the jab as Joshua bounces around struggling to deal with the piston-like left.Huge right hand from Dubois has AJ staggering backwards with his hands far too low from the opening bell.Joshua made to pay for the mistake as he circles out with his hands down and gets dropped by an overhand right.ROUND 2Joshua – saved only by the bell after being floored – struggles to get going as he takes shots to the face.AJ is tottering and teetering around the ring with his guard again dangerously low and inviting pressure on.Joshua is attempting to get back into the bout but his jab looks far too lazy – he doesn’t look to have recovered from the knockdown.ROUND 3AJ comes out with more intent but swings wildly with a right and connects with only thin air.Dubois pours on the pressure and hammers Joshua into the corner scoring another knockdown.The bell sounds but Dubois lands one or two afterwards – again AJ is saved by the clock as the writing looks on the wall.ROUND 4Disaster strikes again with Joshua floored once more – losing his balance as he touches the canvas.The referee gives AJ another fighting chance and Dubois lands a low blow – giving the challenger some valuable respite.Dubois slows down as four rounds come to a close with Joshua showing sensational resilience to hang in there.ROUND 5Joshua lands a huge right hand and Dubois legs buckle – an astonishing turnaround looks to be on the cards.AJ pins Dubois onto the ropes and attempts one of his signature uppercuts but the countering right hand gets there first.Joshua is caught flush on the chin, dropped once more and this time out for good. Dubois scores a stunning KO win.Meanwhile, promoter Eddie Hearn addressed suggestions the 34-year-old could retire after his latest setback.Instead, the Matchroom chief confirmed there was a rematch clause in his contract which will likely be activated.It would give Joshua the chance to avenge the defeat, as he did after his previous knockout loss against Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019.’Are you not entertained? I’m a gladiator’ – What Dubois and Joshua said after brutal fightDANIEL DUBOIS annihilated Anthony Joshua’s dream of becoming a three-time world heavyweight champion, writes Wally Downes Jr.Joshua was floored FOUR times as Dubois landed an astonishing fifth-round knockout in front of a record 96,000 Wembley crowd and millions of TV viewers to retain his IBF belt.AJ, 34, never recovered after being downed in the first round of last night’s Battle of Britain showdown as a huge Dubois right-hand haymaker caught him flush on the chin.Here’s what they said after the fight:DANIEL DUBOIS“Are you not entertained? I’m a gladiator, a warrior to the bitter end. This is the biggest win of my career. I couldn’t let this opportunity go and now I want to go to the top level of this game.“I’ve been on a roller-coaster ride and this is my time. I’m not gonna stop until I reach my full potential.”ANTHONY JOSHUA“As p***ed off as I am, it is what it is.“I had a sharp, fast opponent and there were a lot of mistakes from me. Credit to my opponent and his team.“We rolled the dice and came up short. You know I’m p***ed but I’m going to keep cool and give respect to my opponent.”FRANK WARREN (DUBOIS’ PROMOTER)“It was a phenomenal fight, like  Hagler v Hearns.“A brilliant fight and everybody has seen a champion’s performance tonight.“Daniel has shown his courage, his skills.“AJ caught him with a shot towards the end and I was worried, but what a fabulous, fantastic fight.”EDDIE HEARN (AJ’S PROMOTER)“AJ shipped a huge right hand  in the first round and  was fighting on heart.“He hurt Daniel at the end of the fourth and then again in the fifth, but got greedy and walked on to a right hand and that’s all she wrote.“I’m sure Anthony will exercise the rematch clause.” More

CARL FROCH reignited his bitter feud with Anthony Joshua after giving a damning assessment of his performance against Daniel Dubois. AJ was floored FOUR times before a brutal right hand in round five closed the show in front of a British-record 98,000 at Wembley. Carl Froch slammed Anthony Joshua after defeat to Daniel DuboisCredit: RexAJ was knocked out in round fiveCredit: GettyJoshua picked himself up from the canvas every time until he simply could no more – but still Froch was critical. He said on his YouTube channel: “Anthony Joshua got absolutely battered from pillar to post.”He walked to the ring and he looked nervous. He didn’t look confident. Daniel Dubois was smiling and enjoying himself.”From round one Joshua was getting peppered with the jab, he was on his back foot, he was bolt upright, rigid, doing everything wrong.READ MORE IN BOXING”He was being pushed around the ring and bullied, Dubois came in like a world champion.”He didn’t recover from those shots. He lacked ambition, he lacked self-belief and confidence.”His powers of recover are terrible, he looked exhausted. I question Anthony Joshua’s desire to be in that boxing ring anymore.”Everything was wrong. By round five he looked like he’d ran out of ideas, he looked like a beaten man.Most read in Boxing’Are you not entertained? I’m a gladiator’ – What Dubois and Joshua said after brutal fightDANIEL DUBOIS annihilated Anthony Joshua’s dream of becoming a three-time world heavyweight champion, writes Wally Downes Jr.Joshua was floored FOUR times as Dubois landed an astonishing fifth-round knockout in front of a record 96,000 Wembley crowd and millions of TV viewers to retain his IBF belt.AJ, 34, never recovered after being downed in the first round of last night’s Battle of Britain showdown as a huge Dubois right-hand haymaker caught him flush on the chin.Here’s what they said after the fight:DANIEL DUBOIS“Are you not entertained? I’m a gladiator, a warrior to the bitter end. This is the biggest win of my career. I couldn’t let this opportunity go and now I want to go to the top level of this game.“I’ve been on a roller-coaster ride and this is my time. I’m not gonna stop until I reach my full potential.”ANTHONY JOSHUA“As p***ed off as I am, it is what it is.“I had a sharp, fast opponent and there were a lot of mistakes from me. Credit to my opponent and his team.“We rolled the dice and came up short. You know I’m p***ed but I’m going to keep cool and give respect to my opponent.”FRANK WARREN (DUBOIS’ PROMOTER)“It was a phenomenal fight, like  Hagler v Hearns.“A brilliant fight and everybody has seen a champion’s performance tonight.“Daniel has shown his courage, his skills.“AJ caught him with a shot towards the end and I was worried, but what a fabulous, fantastic fight.”EDDIE HEARN (AJ’S PROMOTER)“AJ shipped a huge right hand  in the first round and  was fighting on heart.“He hurt Daniel at the end of the fourth and then again in the fifth, but got greedy and walked on to a right hand and that’s all she wrote.“I’m sure Anthony will exercise the rematch clause.”CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS”Let’s be fair to AJ he came out in round five and had a go, almost like a last hurrah.”I don’t think AJ wants it anymore, he shouldn’t be boxing. That performance was weak.Anthony Joshua’s ironic final words before brutal Daniel Dubois KO revealed by coach Ben Davison”What next for AJ? I don’t even know. This could be see the last we see of Anthony Joshua. I just can’t see a future for Anthony Joshua.”Joshua and Froch were once friends and training partners at Team GB’s Sheffield HQ.But in retirement, Froch has become an outspoken pundit not afraid to criticise the likes of AJ and Tyson Fury.Joshua and the former super-middleweight champion exchanged angry WhatsApp messages in the build-up to the Dubois fight. Although they looked to have put their feud to bed – until Froch’s critical analysis – which fans were quick to slam. One said: “How can you question his desire he tried everything to continue.”Another added: “He tried to get up though? “The same way he kept trying to stay in the fight each time he got hit. Questioning his heart is very stupid..” Joshua, 34, has a rematch clause with Dubois, 27, and talked down retirement in the aftermath of his one-sided loss. READ MORE SUN STORIESHe said: “Of course I want to continue fighting. We took a shot and we came up short.”What are we going to do, walk away? We’re going to live another day.” More