A Night at Wembley: When Only "Dynamite" Dubois was Ready to Rumble

Farewell to the dream of Anthony Joshua versus Tyson Fury

Joshua knocked down by Dubois /

By Latame Phillips

There’s no better place for a heavyweight showdown than Wembley Stadium in London. Under the bright lights, with 96,000 rowdy fans packed in like sardines, Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) and Daniel “Dynamite” Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) squared off for what we all thought would be a chess match of a fight. Instead, Dubois showed up determined to impersonate Mike Tyson—circa 1986—with a dash of street brawler, hunting Joshua around the ring like a man on a mission. And mission he was on, as he promptly dropped Joshua in the first round with a looping right hand that seemed to come out of nowhere. That punch had more surprises than a bad Tinder date.

Joshua, though, did what only a man who's taken a wrong turn in a haunted house would do—he stuck his tongue out at Dubois as he stumbled back to his corner. A brave move for someone who had just been slapped around.

Round two? Forget it. Joshua’s head looked like one a bobblehead on the dashboard of a car driving over an old country. If you had placed a bet on whether AJ would make it out of the round, congratulations—you’d have lost faster than a tourist trying to navigate London without Google Maps. Somehow, against all odds and laws of physics, he stayed on his feet the entire round. I believe an investigation has been launched to see how this was possible.

Round three was a horror show on repeat. Dubois, clearly having borrowed some of Joshua's swagger, sent AJ to the canvas again, throwing punches like Joshua had stolen his lunch money. And by round four, AJ was doing his best Bambi on Ice impression—legs buckling, knees wobbling. He hit the canvas twice more, making it feel less like a fight and more like an episode of Wipeout.

Then came round five. In what could only be described as a plot twist, Joshua came out looking like the second coming of Muhammad Ali. Suddenly, he was dancing on his toes, flashing that million-dollar smile to the front row, and, for a moment, we thought the comeback was on! He hit Dubois with a right hand so hard that Dubois’ legs looked like a newborn gazelle’s—wobbly attempting walk minutes after birth. The crowd erupted! Wembley was shaking, but just as we started to believe in miracles, Dubois issued AJ correct change with a right hand that sent him face-first into the canvas, and all of our hopes with him.

Joshua’s corner ran in with Usain Bolt-level speed to stop the fight at the count of six, but it was already over. And the question echoed through Wembley and Twitter alike: How does a man built like a Marvel Comic superhero, with model good looks, get blessed with a glass chin? I guess God truly doesn’t make anyone perfect.

So, what now? Farewell to the dream of Anthony Joshua versus Tyson Fury—the fight that could have been the stuff of legend. But let's face it, that would’ve ended with AJ taking another unplanned nap on the mat. As for Deontay Wilder versus Joshua, let’s all agree to never speak of it again. Wilder’s right hand is like a wrecking ball with an agenda, and we don’t need to see AJ trying to survive that demolition job.

"I always hold my head high," Joshua said at the post-fight press conference, which, considering he spent most of the night getting knocked down, is a bold statement. "We took a shot at success and came up short." Yeah, Anthony, that’s an understatement. You didn’t just come up short; you barely showed up with the receipt.

But, ever the optimist, AJ assured us that he’s “a warrior” and will “live to fight another day.” Translation: he’s probably going to trigger that rematch clause, because why not? Eddie Hearn, his promoter, says it’s a given. You can almost hear the collective groan of fans who are already bored of this storyline. Joshua is like the action hero who keeps coming back for sequels no one asked for. Just watch Mission Impossible 2 through 6.

Meanwhile, Dubois, basking in the glow of his victory, told the press, "I wasn't going to be denied tonight; by any means necessary." And credit where it’s due, the guy knocked out Anthony Joshua. Twice. But let’s be real: Dubois is still the guy with two losses and the name recognition of a one-hit-wonder. His journey may be just starting, but right now, most fans are like, “Who?”

So, while Dubois' “Dynamite” keeps rolling for now, let’s hold off on the parade. He’s got potential, sure, but he’s no household name yet. Maybe in a few years we’ll care more. But today? Nah, we’re still mourning the dream of Joshua versus Fury. And now, we get to wonder if AJ will ever truly recover. One thing’s for sure—his chin won’t.