Tyson Fury struggled to hide his frustration after watching Daniel Dubois secure a fifth-round knockout of Anthony Joshua. “The Gypsy King” was front and centre to take in the highly-anticipated fight at Wembley Stadium, but promptly left after seeing his potential future bout go up in flames.
On Saturday, Dubois successfully defended his heavyweight IBF championship by dropping Joshua with a flush straight right. With around two minutes and 20 seconds remaining in the fifth round, the latter connected on a massive uppercut and backed his opponent into the corner.
While unloading a flurry of punches, Joshua was taken off guard by a right hand from Dubois that caught him on the chin. The lethal shot sent him tumbling to the canvas as cheers rang out from the shocked crowd.
Fury, for one, was less than thrilled about the fight’s outcome. DAZN’s pay-per-view broadcast captured the 36-year-old turning away in disgust as fans around him rose from their seats to celebrate the knockdown.
UFC star Conor McGregor, who sat one row behind Fury in the crowd, appeared to be infuriated with Joshua’s loss, as he slammed his chair and shouted something in the direction of the ring. Fury, meanwhile, had a more despondent reaction, waving his hands back and forth as if to say, “That’s it, he’s done.”
A possible faceoff between Fury and Joshua has been floated on more than one occasion over the years but has never come to fruition. The former is already slated to step into the ring with Oleksandr Usyk in December, but is certainly well aware of the exorbitant prize purse that would come from a fight against Joshua.
Regardless, Fury asserted before Saturday’s bout that he couldn’t care less about who emerged victorious in Joshua vs. Dubois. “I don’t know. I don’t really care to be honest,” he told IFL TV. “I’ve got my fight with Oleksandr Usyk to deal with, that’s what I’m thinking about, I’m not thinking about who wins out of these two divvies… I don’t give a —- who wins.”
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On the heels of his thrilling victory, Dubois beckoned to the sold out crowd and told DAZN: “I’ve only got a few things to say, are you not entertained?” Looking back on his tumultuous journey to this point, he added: “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.
“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.”
As for Joshua, he commended Dubois for the dominant performance. “Credit to him and his team. We rolled the dice and we’ve come up short,” he told DAZN. “I want to say, everyone in Wembley, I appreciate you coming out this evening. I’m going to keep my cool, keep very professional and give my respect to my opponent.”