Dubois flattens Joshua after Uysk beats Fury – what next for heavyweight boxing?

Daniel Dubois made a sensational first defence of his IBF world heavyweight title with a fifth-round knockout of Anthony Joshua on Saturday.

Here the PA news agency examines the key questions arising from a dramatic night at Wembley.

What happened?

Showing no respect for Joshua’s status as pre-fight favourite, Dubois stalked down Joshua from the opening bell and floored the former unified world champion four times.

It was a stunning display of skill, power and determination from the 27-year-old Londoner who proved his chin by taking some heavy shots in the fifth.

The ferocity of the win has made Dubois the sport’s most exciting heavyweight.

What does the result mean for the division?

“Listen, that’s cost me £150million” said Tyson Fury at ringside shortly after Joshua had been crushed, a reference to the plans by Saudi Arabia’s boxing kingmakers to fund two clashes between Fury and Joshua next year, one in Riyadh and one in London.

There was another hurdle in Fury’s rematch with Oleksandr Usyk on December 21, but it was hoped Fury would win to set up the eagerly-awaited all-British showdowns for 2025.

Is that now off the table?

If Fury loses they could still meet but with neither athlete thereby at their peak, it is a less appealing prospect.

Joshua has declared he will fight on despite being dismantled by Dubois, but having been accustomed to headlining it is hard to see where he fits into the division now.

Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn said Joshua has one more fight contracted to the Saudis, so he could be back in action early next year even if a rematch against Dubois is an unlikely prospect given the nature of the defeat.

What could happen instead?

All eyes are on Fury’s Christmas collision with Usyk, the dominant heavyweight who holds the WBC, WBA and WBO belts and was undisputed champion until vacating the IBF title in June.

Once the outcome of that is known, the landscape for 2025 will become clearer with Dubois waiting in the wings to mount his own challenge to become the division’s ruler.

Dubois was well beaten by Usyk a year ago, but three wins later he looks far more dangerous.

What does the future hold?

A fascinating 12 months ahead will take place amid the reality that Joshua (34), Fury (36) and Usyk (37) are in the twilight of their careers and may have only a handful of fights left between them.

It has been an entertaining period in heavyweight history, but Dubois’ coming of age performance at Wembley has eased concerns over the division’s medium-term health.

Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang are fringe contenders who generate interest amongst fans, while 19-year-old knockout specialist Moses Itauma is coming up hard on the rails as a British prospect with serious potential.

But the sport on these shores has undoubtedly lost something with Joshua’s defeat given he was its standard bearer with the pulling power to sell out stadiums.