Anthony Joshua has revealed why he was knocked out in the fifth round by Daniel Dubois during their heavyweight clash on Saturday, which saw Dubois retain his IBF heavyweight title.
The fight, held at Wembley Stadium in front of a massive crowd of 96,000, showcased a dominant performance by Dubois.
The 27-year-old floored Joshua four times before delivering the decisive blow in the fifth round—a powerful right to the chin that ended the contest.
During his post-match press conference, Joshua reflected on the loss, attributing his defeat to a series of mistakes made throughout the bout.
He said: “The first round? Overhand right, chin in the air, no defence kaboom.
“And it was a bit of a downhill slope from there. Tried to change the tides but it just weren’t my night tonight.”
Revealing what went wrong with him in the fifth round despite starting it strongly Joshua said:
“I caught him with a good shot I think and then I tried to go for it, and then I got caught with an overhead right, when I was throwing the uppercut.
“Thing is, I wasn’t setting shots up. In a shootout like that you really got to be a bit more sniper-esque.
“But when you’ve been hit a few times, it’s survival, I’m in survival mode.
“I just want to get him out of there and we had a shoot out and he hit me.”