Anthony Joshua’s trainer, Ben Davison, revealed to TalkSport the frustrating issues the team faced in the lead-up to their defeat last September.
Few all-British clashes command the attention of an entire nation, but Joshua’s showdown with Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in 2024 was one of them. The highly anticipated bout took place on September 21, 2024, in front of a record British boxing crowd of 96,000 spectators.
The two giant heavyweights shared an intriguing historical rivalry heading into their world title bout, with many wondering whether Dubois, entering as the IBF champion, could claim the biggest scalp of his career by defeating Joshua.
Despite the intrigue leading up to the bout, few could have predicted the dominant and confident performance delivered by the defending champion, who scored four knockdowns and stopped AJ in the fifth round in front of a record crowd of 92,000 spectators.
The victory felt like liftoff for Dubois and his ambition to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion from these shores since Lennox Lewis, echoing shades of Joshua’s landmark win at Wembley Stadium against Wladimir Klitschko.
Dubois now finds himself just one win away from fulfilling those dreams, as he prepares to rematch Oleksandr Usyk at Wembley this July.
For Joshua, the defeat saw him slip down the heavyweight pecking order, leaving him with another daunting climb to reach the summit of the division once more.
The Road to Wembley: Form and Stakes
Leading into their September 2024 clash, both Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois were on paths of resurgence. Anthony Joshua, aged 34 at the time, held a professional record of 28 wins and 3 losses, with 25 victories coming by knockout. He had rebounded from back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk with three consecutive wins against Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, and Francis Ngannou, the latter a devastating second-round knockout in March 2024.
Daniel Dubois, seven years Joshua’s junior, entered the fight with a record of 21 wins and 2 losses, boasting 20 knockouts. His two losses had come against Joe Joyce and Oleksandr Usyk. Crucially, Dubois had been elevated to full IBF heavyweight champion on June 26, 2024, after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the belt, setting the stage for his first title defense against Joshua. The winner of this all-British encounter was widely expected to challenge the victor of a potential Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury rematch for the undisputed championship.
Ben Davison Shares Frustration On AJ Defeat
Ben Davison, regarded as one of Britain’s top boxing coaches, has overseen numerous major victories throughout his career, but he revealed that frustrating preparations ahead of the stadium showdown impacted results on the night.
“He was very very late arriving to the changing room for unforeseen circumstances and it was a major rush which wasn’t ideal,” said Davison.
“Maybe that had an impact on his ring walk I can’t say yes or no, its not an excuse but maybe the fact he was extremely late didn’t help.”
Despite any pre-fight issues, Daniel Dubois delivered a career-best performance. He dominated Joshua from the opening bell, dropping him with a left hand in the first round. Joshua was again sent to the canvas in the third and fourth rounds, with one instance in the fourth being ruled a slip. In the fifth round, after a brief rally from Joshua, Dubois countered with a short right hand that floored Joshua once more. The fight was stopped at 59 seconds of the fifth round, with Dubois securing a stunning knockout victory and retaining his IBF heavyweight title. Over the five rounds, Dubois landed 79 of his 196 punches thrown with a connect rate of 40%, while Joshua landed only 32 of his 117 punches thrown with a connect rate of 27%.
The Undisputed Dream: Dubois vs. Usyk II
Following his emphatic victory over Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois, with his IBF title in hand, turned his attention to unifying the heavyweight division. His path led him to a highly anticipated rematch against Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship. The fight, billed as “Undisputed,” took place on July 19, 2025, at Wembley Stadium in London.
This was a rematch of their controversial first encounter on August 26, 2023, in Wrocław, Poland, where Usyk defeated Dubois via ninth-round knockout. That bout was marred by a contentious fifth-round incident where a punch from Dubois was ruled a low blow, allowing Usyk time to recover. In the July 2025 rematch, Usyk, entering with a record of 23-0 (14 KOs), once again proved his dominance. He secured a fifth-round knockout victory over Dubois, dropping him twice in the round with a right hook to the temple and a decisive left hook. With this win, Usyk regained the undisputed heavyweight championship, adding the IBF title back to his WBA (Super), WBC, WBO, IBO, and The Ring belts, becoming a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion.
Aftermath and Future Implications
For Anthony Joshua, the loss to Daniel Dubois marked a significant setback, bringing his professional record to 28 wins and 4 losses. Despite the defeat, Joshua quickly dismissed retirement, with his promoter Eddie Hearn stating that a rematch clause was in the contract and expected to be triggered. However, Joshua ultimately pulled out of the immediate rematch. Joshua’s career took another unexpected turn when he faced YouTube personality-turned-boxer Jake Paul on December 20, 2025, suffering a sixth-round knockout loss. Looking ahead, Joshua is scheduled to make his return to the ring in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in a fight billed as “The Comeback.” Talks also continue for a long-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury later in 2026.
Daniel Dubois, despite the loss to Usyk, has continued to carve out his place in the heavyweight division. His professional record now stands at 23 wins (22 KOs) and 3 losses (3 KOs). After his undisputed title bid fell short, Dubois demonstrated his resilience by challenging Fabio Wardley for the WBO heavyweight title in May 2026. In a dramatic and bloody contest, Dubois recovered from two early knockdowns to stop Wardley in the 11th round, claiming the WBO world heavyweight championship. This victory solidified Dubois’s position as a two-time heavyweight world champion, having previously held the IBF title. His journey continues, with a potential rematch clause in place for the Wardley fight and a renewed focus on the top of the division.
