Dubois stops Joshua with devastating fifth-round knockout

Anthony Joshua's career rebuild suffered a devastating setback after he collapsed to a brutal fifth-round knockout by Daniel Dubois at Wembley.

Fighting with the aim of setting up a clash with the winner of Tyson Fury’s rematch with Oleksandr Usyk in December, Joshua was instead dominated from start to finish and was floored four times.

Dubois spoke of his determination to "legitimise" his reign as IBF champion after being given the belt which Usyk vacated in June and he did exactly that with a destructive display that could signal the end of Joshua’s career.

The 27-year-old underdog went hunting for Joshua from the start and was rewarded as his big shots wobbled the Olympic gold medallist time and again.

An action-packed fifth round of an breathless clash saw Dubois land the decisive blow having come through worrying moments himself as Joshua finally found his distance.

Once Oasis’ Liam Gallagher had warmed up the crowd with a live set of three songs, the British rivals engaged in a dramatic opening round that ended with Joshua being saved by the bell.

Dubois, weighing a career-high 17st 10lbs, was on the front foot and looking to land the more purposeful shots, his aggressive use of the head resulting in two warnings.

But at the end of the round he caught Joshua with a savage overhand right that floored the challenger and just as he returned to his feet, the bell sounded.

It was a dramatic start and the fireworks continued into the second round which saw Joshua in full survival mode, desperately clinging on to the underdog as he looked to find the finishing shot.

Dubois was guilty of being too frantic in his eagerness to end the night early but in the third round he had Joshua down again, a left hook causing his legs to buckle