JOSH KELLY will hopefully fight for a world title instead of fighting Liam Smith again.

Smith was due to face Kelly on Saturday night as part of the Riyadh series at Wembley Stadium but withdrew due to a virus.

The Liverpool fighter’s slow replacement was “Black Panther” Ishmael Davis, whom Kelly defeated by a majority decision on points (115-113, 115-114, 114-114), which stunned the winner and his team.

Saturday night’s fight took place at middleweight, but Kelly is currently ranked second by the WBO and fifth by the IBF in the super welterweight division.

Kelly’s trainer Adam Booth spoke to him at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night and dismissed any ideas of a confrontation with Smith.

“That’s in the past,” Booth said. “Wasted months on this. World title or the massive fight (next).”

Booth, who has trained fighters including David Haye, George Groves and Michael Conlan, also shared his feelings on Kelly-Davis’ results.

“I scored it 9-3. I’m just disappointed with what the judges did. Winning is the most significant thing and you move on, but when judges do that to fighters, it can destroy their careers because you know perfectly well that if you win, the payouts go up and if you lose, they go down.”

Once upon a time, not so long ago, some called Daniel Dubois a “coward.” They questioned his heart, his integrity, and whether deep down he was truly a champion.

The critical thing is that he never questioned himself. Dubois fought the stigma. He rejuvenated his career with victories over Jarrell Miller (TKO 10) and Filip Hrgovic (TKO 8). His victory over Hrgovic earned him the interim IBF title, which was later elevated to the “full” list of titles.

Still, he and Anthony Joshua needed each other. They were two wounded boxing souls, connected by a common denominator—each had lost to the undefeated Ringo and world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. Both needed to reclaim their heavyweight positions, both needed redemption in a strange way against each other.

Dubois won the belt Saturday night in a stunning fifth-round knockout of Joshua at “Riyadh Season: Wembley Edition” before a record crowd of 96,000 at Wembley Stadium in London, England, defending the IBF heavyweight title that Usyk vacated for a rematch with Tyson Fury in December.

The Ring’s No. 6 heavyweight contender, the 27-year-old Dubois (22-2, 21 knockouts) floored the 34-year-old Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) in the first, third, fourth and fifth rounds. The end officially came at :59 of the fifth round when Dubois caught Joshua in the jaw with a counter right punch.

“I just have a few things to say: ‘Aren’t you entertained!’” Dubois shouted to the energetic crowd. “It’s been a long journey. I’m grateful to be in this position. I’m a gladiator and a warrior who fights to the bitter end. Behind the scenes, working with my dad and having a mighty team helped me get through it. I’ve been on a rollercoaster and this is my redemption story.”

Dubois landed 91 of 230 punches (46%), including 27 power punches, while Joshua landed 60 of 139 (48%) and 16 power punches.

“Credit to (Dubois) and his team,” Joshua said. “We rolled the dice and we didn’t get it. You know I’m pissed off. You know I want to kick it. We’re still rolling the dice. I had a tough opponent, a swift opponent, but I made a lot of mistakes. That’s the game, as pissed off as I am.”

Daniel Dubois catches Anthony Joshua in round 1. From that point on, Joshua had no chance against Dubois. (Photo by Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)

Early on, Dubois attacked Joshua in the first minute. Dubois, dressed in black, entered the ring very composed, almost seemingly too relaxed. Joshua, in white trunks, seemed tense during his walk around the ring.

Dubois, weighing 248.6 pounds, his career-high, dropped Joshua with a powerful right hook to the chin in the final five seconds of the first round, after Joshua missed Dubois with a right hook.

Not wanting to lose momentum, Dubois came at Joshua in the opening minutes of the second round. Dubois looked to have Joshua in trouble again, but by the middle of the round Joshua seemed to have settled down. Joshua survived the round despite being struck in the back of the head by a right from Dubois.

Early in the third round, Dubois stunned Joshua with a quick combination. He forced Joshua to retreat and still look for his feet. In the final minute of the round, Dubois sent Joshua to the canvas for the second time. Dubois crushed Joshua with a left to the chin, and referee Marcus McDonnell did a very needy job of not seeing Joshua’s gloves touch the cloth.

Dubois dropped Joshua — officially — early in the fourth round. Perhaps it was a rebound from the previous round, as it looked more like a slip than a punch-induced knockdown.

EVERYTHING IS OVER🔥🔥🔥#RiyadhSeasonal Card:Wembley Edition#JoshuaDubois | Live NOW https://t.co/FoiaUucafv: Click link in bio to purchase | @turk_alalshikh photo: twitter.com/zZEm2Vufy9

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) September 21, 2024

Joshua was everywhere. Dubois looked tired, but Joshua looked to be on his feet. With 1:29 left in the round, Dubois threw a right jab at Joshua that sent him sprawling backwards against the ropes. Slow in the fourth, Joshua didn’t seem to have much to lose.

As Joshua looked to be coming back in the fifth round, Dubois caught Joshua with a counter right to the chin with 2:11 left in the round. Joshua went down in the corner for the fourth time, and this time McDonnell made the right decision and turned it down at :59.

Joshua’s future is something to consider. He was supposed to eat Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019 and was knocked out in the seventh round, losing his IBF and WBO titles. He lost those same titles to Usyk in 2021 and lost to Usyk in a rematch in 2022.

He is now on his third trainer after parting ways with Robert McCracken following his first loss to Usyk in September 2021. He was previously coached by Derrick James and Robert Garcia before settling on his current trainer, Ben Davison.

“AJ kept fighting, never gave up and never stopped trying to get up when he couldn’t get up,” said Matchroom Promotions CEO Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter. “A huge, huge congratulations to Daniel Dubois. I’m sure AJ will exercise his rematch clause. Daniel Dubois deserves all the credit.”

When it comes to the number of missed opportunities Joshua has had, Dubois is on the opposite side. Dubois appeared to have knocked Usyk down in the fifth round of their August 2023 fight, which was considered a low blow, although some thought it was controversial. Usyk outlasted Dubois, stopping him in the ninth round.

When asked who he would like to fight next, Dubois said Usyk. He will have to wait for that chance.

Meanwhile, no one will call him a “give up” anymore.

Follow @JSantoliquito [twitter.com]

By: Sean Crose

If the Oasis show and the fireworks weren’t enough to get the excitement going on Saturday, the heavyweight title fight between Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua promised to be a huge hit. These were the two biggest names in boxing’s biggest division, fighting in their own country. Indeed, nearly 100,000 people (you read that right) packed into Wembley Stadium in London, England to watch the two men fight for the IBF heavyweight title. It’s no wonder the legendary band and all the bells and whistles that advanced technology could offer got the crowd pumped up. Promoted by Saudi sports chief Turki Alalshikh, this was, to say the least, a HUGE. SPORTS. EVENT.

But it all came down to the fight – a 12-round fight between two highly skilled, hard-hitting professionals, ready to answer the question of who was the better man. Dubois landed tough almost immediately in the first round. But Joshua was able to land his punches well throughout the entire chapter. Then, as the round drew to a close, Joshua was sent to the mat. Joshua beat the count, but Dubois continued to pummel the two-time champion in the second round. Again, Joshua survived the round – but Dubois’s jabs and power punches proved effective.

Joshua landed a good punch in the third round – before being knocked down again before the bell. He got back to his feet to beat the count. Joshua went down for the third time in the first fifteen seconds of the fourth round. After getting back up, he went down again, thanks to a slip. No matter. The statuesque Englishman was being whipped by his countryman. The fight was over in the fifth round.

Joshua, to his credit, managed to take Dubois down in the final round. But chasing his opponent into the corner, the tough Joshua was sent to the ground by a devastatingly brief, correct and powerful right from Dubois, straight out of the Joe Louis playbook. The referee didn’t have to count – but he did anyway. Suffice it to say Joshua couldn’t get back to his feet in time. It was a stunningly one-sided fight.

“Aren’t you having fun?” Dubois asked the crowd afterward, imitating Russell Crowe’s renowned line from the film. “I’m a gladiator. I’m a warrior, to the end, to the bitter end.” Having now defeated Joshua and possibly Oleksandr Usyk, Dubois is undoubtedly in the running to become the undisputed heavyweight king. Dubois, who has been largely sidelined in conversations about the best heavyweights, is now clearly part of the conversation… and an critical one at that.