London (AFP)
Britain’s Daniel Dubois defeated his compatriot Anthony Joshua by knockout at Wembley Stadium in London, retaining his IBF heavyweight title.
The 27-year-old imposed his superiority from the start, and several times knocked out his compatriot, who won the unified world heavyweight title twice.
Just 59 seconds into the fifth round, Dubois delivered the knockout blow to his 34-year-old compatriot.
“I have only a few words to say: Didn’t you enjoy it? I’m a wrestler, a fighter until the end. I want to reach the highest level in this game and reach my full potential,” Dubois told the huge crowd at Wembley Stadium.
He added: “I have come through a journey full of ups and downs, my time has come.. I will not stop until I reach the peak of my potential.”
In June, Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk decided to vacate his IBF title just weeks after becoming the unified world heavyweight champion.
The 37-year-old won the first unified world heavyweight title in 25 years on May 19, defeating Britain’s Tyson Fury by split decision.
The Ukrainian collected the IBF, WBO, WBA and WBC belts when he defeated Fury in Saudi Arabia.
Usyk decided to renew the fight with Fury next December, again in Riyadh, instead of facing the interim champion and mandatory challenger Dubois, who became world champion in June as a result of the Ukrainian’s decision to give up the “IBF” belt.
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