Dubois beats up Joshua to retain IBF heavyweight title with brutal 5th-round knockout

LONDON (AP) — Daniel Dubois is no longer an accidental world heavyweight champion.

With a brutal fifth-round knockout of Anthony Joshua in front of 96,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, Dubois showed he might be the real deal — and the future of boxing’s marquee division.

“Are you not entertained?” Dubois roared to the crowd after dominating the all-British title fight to complete his quest to legitimize his status as a heavyweight titleholder, three months after gaining the IBF belt vacated by Oleksandr Usyk.

The 27-year-old Dubois entered the ring first — an unusual twist given he was the champion — to strengthen the feeling this was being treated as a homecoming for Joshua, the decade-long darling of British boxing who was bidding to emulate the likes of Muhammad Ali and Lennox Lewis as a three-time heavyweight champ.

Dubois left the ring as the heavyweight’s next big thing, having floored Joshua in the first and third rounds before ending the fight 59 seconds into the fifth with a counter right that sent Joshua face first into the canvas.

Joshua's corner threw in the towel but that wasn't needed. There was no coming back for a boxer whose best days look behind him.

“This is my time, my redemption story,” said Dubois, who put himself in position to potentially fight the winner of the Dec. 21 rematch between WBA, WBC and WBO champion Usyk and Tyson Fury. “I’m not going to stop until I reach my full potential.”

As for the outclassed Joshua, he vowed to continue boxing after a fourth defeat over the last five years. His promoter, Eddie Hearn, said he wanted to exercise the rematch clause.

This was the worst of all those losses, though. Joshua was saved by the bell in the first and third rounds after the knockdowns and put in a ragged performance throughout, with Dubois getting through his defense with ease.

Joshua never recovered from an overhead right late in the first round that knocked him down. He stuck out his tongue toward Dubois as he returned to his stool but he was clearly hurt, disorientated and vulnerable.

The knockdown late in the third, off a big left from Dubois, dumped Joshua onto his backside through the ropes.

“I had a sharp opponent, a fast opponent,” Joshua said. “But a lot of the mistakes were mine.”

A record post-war boxing crowd in Britain witnessed a changing of the guard.

Joshua has been a marketing phenomenon for the past decade, selling out U.K. stadiums and making hundreds of millions of dollars mainly because of his punching power. He might be back, but surely not as a realistic title contender after slipping to 28-4.

Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) is undoubtedly the future. He said after the fight that he wanted another shot at Usyk, to whom he lost in Wroclaw, Poland, last year — but only after sending the Ukrainian to the canvas with a disputed low blow from which Usyk was given time to recover.

Otherwise, there's potentially a money-spinning fight with the 36-year-old Fury in the offing.

“I'm a gladiator. I'm a warrior to the bitter end,” Dubois said. “I want to go to the top level of this game.”

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Daniel Dubois celebrates victory against Anthony Joshua, not pictured, in the IBF World Heavyweight bout at Wembley Stadium, in London, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Anthony Joshua, left, knocked down by Daniel Dubois in the IBF World Heavyweight bout at Wembley Stadium, in London, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Anthony Joshua, left, and Daniel Dubois, fight in the IBF World Heavyweight bout at Wembley Stadium, in London, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Daniel Dubois, center, celebrates victory against Anthony Joshua, not pictured, in the IBF World Heavyweight bout at Wembley Stadium, in London, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Daniel Dubois, left, knocks out Anthony Joshua in the IBF World Heavyweight bout at Wembley Stadium, in London, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Anthony Joshua, centre, and Daniel Dubois, right, fight in the IBF World Heavyweight bout at Wembley Stadium, in London, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk in the stands with his belt at Wembley Stadium, in London, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Anthony Joshua, left, and Daniel Dubois fight in the IBF World Heavyweight bout at Wembley Stadium, in London, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Daniel Dubois, centre, knocks down Anthony Joshua in the IBF World Heavyweight bout at Wembley Stadium, in London, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Daniel Dubois, right, knocks down Anthony Joshua in the IBF World Heavyweight bout at Wembley Stadium, in London, Saturday Sept. 21, 2024. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Anthony Joshua, left, and Daniel Dubois fight in the IBF World Heavyweight bout at Wembley Stadium, in London, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

CLAYMONT, Del. (AP) — President Joe Biden told Indo-Pacific allies on Saturday that he believes China’s increasing military assertiveness is an effort to test the region at a turbulent moment for Beijing.

Biden's comments were caught by a hot mic after he and fellow leaders of the so-called Quad delivered opening remarks before the press at a summit he’s hosting near his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware. He said his administration sees Beijing’s actions as a “change in tactic, not a change in strategy.”

China is struggling to pull up its economy that was pummeled by the coronavirus pandemic and has seen an extended slowdown in industrial activity and real estate prices as Beijing faces pressure to ramp up spending to stimulate demand.

“China continues to behave aggressively, testing us all across the region, and it’s true in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, South China, South Asia and the Taiwan Straits," Biden told Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. He added, “At least from our perspective, we believe (Chinese President) Xi Jinping is looking to focus on domestic economic challenges and minimize the turbulence in China's diplomatic relationships, and he’s also looking to buy himself some diplomatic space, in my view, to aggressively pursue China’s interest."

Starting with a trade war that dates back to 2018, China and the United States have grown at odds over a range of issues, from global security, such as China’s claims over the South China Sea, to industrial policy on electric vehicle and solar panel manufacturing.

The administration has repeatedly spoken out about concerns about Chinese aggression toward Taiwan and more recently on the frequent clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels in disputed areas of the South China Sea.

China also has longtime territorial disputes involving other claimants including Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei. U.S. officials worry about China’s long-stated goals of unifying Taiwan with China's mainland and the possibility of war over Taiwan. The self-ruled island democracy is claimed by Beijing as part of its territory.

The leaders in a joint declaration issued following their talks expressed “serious concern about the militarization ... and coercive and intimidating maneuvers in the South China Sea.”

Biden last month dispatched his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, to Beijing for three days of talks with Chinese officials. Sullivan during that visit also met with Xi.

Both governments are eager to keep relations on an even keel ahead of a change in the U.S. presidency in January. And both sides have said they remain committed to managing the relationship, following up on a meeting between Xi and Biden in San Francisco last November.

The concerns about China were raised as Biden showed off a slice of his Delaware hometown to the leaders of Australia, Japan and India as he hosted what is likely the last gathering of the Indo-Pacific partnership that has grown in prominence under his White House tenure.

When Biden began his presidency he looked to elevate the Quad, which until then had only met at the foreign minister level, to a leader-level partnership as he tried to pivot U.S. foreign policy away from conflicts in the Middle East and toward threats and opportunities in the Indo-Pacific. This weekend's summit is the fourth in-person and sixth overall gathering of the leaders since 2021.

“It will survive way beyond November," Biden told the leaders.

The president, who has admitted to an uneven track record as a scholar, also seemed tickled to get to host a gathering with three world leaders at the school he attended more than 60 years ago. He welcomed each of the leaders individually for one-on-one talks at his nearby home before they gathered at the school for talks and a formal dinner.

"I don’t think the headmaster of this school thought I’d be presiding over a meeting like this,” Biden joked to fellow leaders.

Albanese, Modi and Kishida came for the summit before their appearances at the U.N. General Assembly in New York next week.

"This place could not be better suited for my final visit as prime minister,” said Kishida, who like Biden, is set to soon leave office.

Earlier, the president warmly greeted Kishida when he arrived at the residence on Saturday morning and gave the prime minister a tour of the property before they settled into talks.

White House officials said holding the talks at the president's house, which sits near a pond in a wooded area several miles west of downtown, was intended to give the meetings a more relaxed feel.

Sullivan described the vibe of Biden's one-on-one meeting with Albanese, who stopped by the house on Friday, as “two guys — one at the other guy’s home — talking in broad strokes about where they see the state of the world.” He said Biden and Albanese also swapped stories about their political careers.

The Australian leader remarked that the visit had given him “insight into what in my view makes you such an extraordinary world leader.”

Modi also stopped by the house on Saturday to meet with Biden before the leaders gathered for their joint talks.

“There cannot be a better place than President Biden's hometown of Wilmington to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Quad,” Modi said.

Biden and Modi discussed Modi's recent visits to Russia and Ukraine as well as economic and security concerns about China. Modi is the most prominent leader from a nation that maintains a neutral position on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Biden and Kishida, who are both stepping away from office amid sliding public support, count the tightening of security and economic ties among the U.S., Japan and South Korea as one of their most significant accomplishments.

The improved relations between Japan and South Korea, two nations with a deep and complicated history that have struggled to stay on speaking terms, have come amid worrying developments in the Pacific, including strides made by North Korea in its nuclear program and concerns about China.

Biden during their face-to-face meeting commended Kishida for demonstrating “courage and conviction in strengthening ties” with South Korea, according to the White House. They also discussed China, Russia's war against Ukraine and emerging technology issues.

The U.S. and Japan are dealing with a rare moment of tension in the relationship. Biden, as well as presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, have opposed a $15 billion bid by Japan’s Nippon Steel to take over American-owned U.S. Steel.

Biden administration officials indicated this week that a U.S. government committee's formal assessment of the proposed deal has yet to be submitted to the White House and may not come until after the Nov. 5 election.

The summit declaration also condemned North Korea’s continued ballistic missile testing and expressed “deep concern about countries that are deepening military cooperation with North Korea.”

The U.S. has publicized intelligence findings that show North Korea and Iran have provided Russia with ballistic missiles and other weaponry for its war in Ukraine and that Moscow is in turn tightening its relationship with Pyongyang and Tehran.

The leaders announced their four countries are committing $150 million for HPV vaccines, screening and therapeutics in the Indo-Pacific. Relatively few women in the region get screened for the virus that causes nearly all cervical cancers.

U.S. Navy doctors and nurses will also launch a program to train their Pacific counterparts on conducting cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccinations.

The announcement is related to Biden’s Cancer Moonshot Initiative, a long-running passion project of the president and his wife, Jill Biden, aimed at reducing cancer deaths.

The Bidens’ son Beau died in 2015 at age 46 of brain cancer.

Madhani reported from Washington.

President Joe Biden greets India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Quad leaders summit at Archmere Academy in Claymont, Del., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Joe Biden greets Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Quad leaders summit at Archmere Academy in Claymont, Del., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Joe Biden greets India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Quad leaders summit at Archmere Academy in Claymont, Del., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Joe Biden walks to a group photo with from left, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Biden, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, at the Quad leaders summit at Archmere Academy in Claymont, Del., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Joe Biden, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meets at the Quad leaders summit at Archmere Academy in Claymont, Del., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Joe Biden greets Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Quad leaders summit at Archmere Academy in Claymont, Del., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Joe Biden greets Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Quad leaders summit at Archmere Academy in Claymont, Del., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Joe Biden meets with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at the Quad leaders summit at Archmere Academy in Claymont, Del., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Joe Biden, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meets at the Quad leaders summit at Archmere Academy in Claymont, Del., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Joe Biden greets India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Quad leaders summit at Archmere Academy in Claymont, Del., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Joe Biden, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meet at the Quad leaders summit at Archmere Academy in Claymont, Del., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Joe Biden meets with from left, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, at the Quad leaders summit at Archmere Academy in Claymont, Del., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Joe Biden greets from left, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, at the Quad leaders summit at Archmere Academy in Claymont, Del., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Joe Biden meets with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at the Quad leaders summit at Archmere Academy in Claymont, Del., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

On this photo provided by AAP IMAGE, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attends a question time at Parliament House in Canberra, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (Mick Tsikas/AAP Image via AP)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves towards the crowd as he arrives to address the election rally in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

President Joe Biden's speaks with football players at Archmere Academy in Claymont, Del., Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, during a walkthrough visit ahead of his meetings with world leaders there on Saturday. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)