On Saturday night, in the fifth round of their IBF heavyweight title fight, Daniel Dubois astonished the world by stopping Anthony Joshua to keep the belt. In front of a raucous Wembley stadium, the two fierce rivals from Britain squared up for the heavyweight title, and much to everyone’s astonishment, Dubois prevailed.

‘Dynamite’ Dubois gave an incredible performance from the first bell, showcasing his tremendous power and landing a knockdown in the first round.Startled “AJ” went back to his corner to ask trainer Ben Davison for advice. In the following round, he did succeed in hanging on as Dubois pushed ahead.

In the fifth round of their Saturday night bout for the IBF heavyweight title at Wembley Stadium, Daniel Dubois (right) defeated Anthony Joshua (left).

Joshua, though, never seemed to fully recover from the opening blow and found himself on the mat again in the third round, just prior to the bell ringing.

Wembley was stunned as Joshua failed to recover from a brutal right-hook in the fifth round

‘AJ’ was sent crashing to the canvas after the superb counter-punch from rival Dubois

Dubois watched on as Joshua struggled to get back to his feet and the bout was waved off

Dubois scored four knockdowns throughout the bout as Joshua struggled to keep pace

Few had anticipated the 27-year-old Dubois’s dominating performance on Saturday night.

In the fourth round, Dubois connected with another massive hook that drove ‘AJ’ to the ground once more, raising concerns from Joshua’s corner.

Despite taking some serious hits in the first few rounds, the 34-year-old somehow got back up and walked ahead.

But it all happened in the fifth, when Joshua grabbed Dubois and moved forward, only for the IBF heavyweight champion to counter-kick brilliantly, sending his opponent to the floor.

For the fourth time throughout the fight, Joshua tried to stand up, but he slipped and gave the referee an easy call off the bout.

There was clamour among the 96,000 fans in attendance as many couldn’t quite believe the emphatic display from Dubois on the night.

However, speaking inside the ring after the bout, Dubois insisted that he’s not even reached his ‘full potential’.

‘I’ve only got a few things to say, are you not entertained?!,’ he declared.

‘It’s been a journey and I’m grateful to be in this position. I’m a gladiator, I’m a warrior until the bitter end.

Dubois celebrated with his IBF heavyweight title in front of 96,000 fans at Wembley stadium

There was respect between the two British stars inside the ring at Wembley after the bout

Dubois landed several huge right-hooks that had Joshua stumbling around the ring

The 34-year-old was given standing counts on two separate occasions during the bout

‘I want to get to the top of this sport and reach my full potential.

‘Behind the scenes, the work with my dad. I’ve been on a rollercoaster run, this is my time, this is my redemption story. I’m not going to stop until I reach my full potential.’

Meanwhile, after the fight, Joshua remained humble in defeat and admitted he ‘came up short’ on the night – as he suffered the fourth loss of his professional career.

Joshua said: ‘Credit to him and his team. We rolled the dice of success, but we came up short.

‘You know I’m ready to kick off in the ring, but I’m going to keep my cool, keep very professional, and give respect to my opponent.

‘I’m always saying to myself I’m a fighter for life… We keep rolling the dice.

‘I had a sharp opponent, a fast opponent and a lot of mistakes from my end, but that’s the game.’

The defeat to Dubois sparks debate over Joshua’s career and likely puts an end to the possibility that he will ever face rival Tyson Fury – who is scheduled to fight Oleksandr Usyk in December.

‘Dynamite’ Dubois, on the other hand, will be watching that bout attentively with the hopes of adding to his IBF heavyweight title.

Dubois seemed to find success in the pocket and landed some big blows from close-range

In the end, trainer Ben Davison threw in the towel and rushed into the ring as it was waved off

The 27-year-old has never faced Fury before but will be looking for vengeance against Usyk, should the Ukrainian win, after falling to defeat in their fight last year.

Matchroom boxing chief Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, revealed what the next steps are for the Watford-based boxer following the defeat.

Speaking to DAZN, Hearn said: ‘I’m sure he’ll exercise that rematch clause, I think that’s a given. He’ll need a rest and it’s a dangerous fight. This guy’s growing in confidence all the time.

‘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 tonight. It was a great performance from Daniel.’

The stars were out to see the blockbuster display from Dubois on the night, with the likes of Conor McGregor, Tyson Fury and Maya Jama all in attendance.

Fury was another who offered his assessment on the fight and slammed critics for ‘writing Dubois off’ beforehand.

After the fight, Dubois insisted that he still hasn’t ‘reached my potential’ in the boxing game

Eddie Hearn, meanwhile, stated that Joshua will probably use his right to a rematch with Dubois.

“Excellent job,” he exclaimed. He performed admirably, and little Dan was treated fairly.

You know, everyone wrote him off. He was the world champion when he came here, but everyone laughed at him and called him a jerk.

And he demonstrated his strengths, which is excellent for him. Wonderful. Just play.

When asked about Joshua’s performance, Fury brought up his loss on points against Oleksandr Usyk in May, a contest in which the Gypsy King was floored in the ninth and eleventh rounds.

He added, “Listening, it’s heavyweight boxing—it happens, doesn’t it?” “Anyone can experience it; it happened to me.”