I watched Anthony Joshua sleepwalk to devastating Daniel Dubois KO but he says he will be back – why?

When Lennox Lewis fought Frank Bruno in 1993 he had to be woken up by his trainer just minutes before winning the all-British world title showdown in Cardiff.

The chances of Anthony Joshua or Daniel Dubois grabbing a power-nap ahead of their IBF title at Wembley Stadium were slim as Liam Gallagher belted out a few Oasis numbers and then a record post-war boxing crowd of 96,000 pumped out Sweet Caroline. The changing rooms and foundations of the national stadium were vibrating. But still the experienced Joshua sleep-walked into the first round.

Dubois, on the back of redeeming victories over Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic, was a fizzing mass of dangerous energy. Throughout fight week he looked ready to explode and he started with a pace that Joshua simply wasn't ready for. It's an open secret Dubois has the best jab among the heavyweights. But knowing about it and dealing with it are very different things and Joshua was in serious trouble from the start.

Joshua, who has previously lost to Andy Ruiz and twice to Oleksandr Usyk, was attempting to join Muhammad Ali, Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield by becoming a three-time world heavyweight champion. Instead he was dominated from start to finish and was floored four times. In the first he was battered to the floor and was only saved by the bell.

The second round saw Joshua in full survival mode, desperately clinging on as his opponent frantically sought the finishing shot.

Dubois was in a frenzy and in the third he had Joshua down again, a left hook causing his legs to buckle beneath him. A standing eight count was followed by the bell and as the fourth round got underway Joshua was floored for the third time, although he protested it was not a legitimate knockdown.

Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, looked shell shocked at ringside and his worst fears were realised in an extraordinary fifth. Dubois was momentarily stunned by two rights but Joshua’s tank was empty and as he foolishly traded, the 34-year-old was caught by successive right hands and he was down again, thrashing on the floor but unable to beat the count. It was by far the most brutal knock down he has suffered in 32 fights.

"We came up short as a team,” said a semi-concussed and woozy Joshua. “You know I'm ready to kick off in the ring but I'm going to keep it respectful. Before I came here, I always say to myself I'm a fighter for life. You keep rolling the dice. I had a fast and sharp opponent, a lot of mistakes from my end."

Dubois tipped the scales at a career-high 17st 10lbs for the first defence of his IBF world heavyweight title, which he gained after undisputed champion Usyk was forced to vacate the belt, due to his rematch clause with Tyson Fury.

The 25-year-old can now hold his hand up as a legitimate champion and healed his own ring trauma after he was unfairly tagged a quitter for taking the knee against Joe Joyce in 2020, and then giving up after being floored with a jab by Usyk last year.

"I want to go to the top level of this game and reach my full potential," he said after his triumph. "The work with my dad and family and they have helped me get through this. This is my time, I'm not going to stop."

For Dubois, endless riches await. His priority is to avenge the Usyk loss but as always, boxing is more complicated than that. Joshua has a rematch clause with Dubois and Fury, who was ringside at Wembley, takes on Usyk for a second time in Saudi Arabia this December. Hearn believes Joshua will want to trigger the rematch, or the promoter said Joshua could perhaps fight the loser of Fury vs Usyk rematch.

Boxing, backed by the deep pockets of the Saudi Arabia Entertainment fund, has come a long way since Lewis toppled Bruno 1993. The marketing machine is immense, the undercards are stacked with talent, the sound systems rattle your chest and the light show bedazzles but when it's all stripped back, the sport remains just as brutal. Joshua, once again, was on the receiving end and this was the most painful and worrying of all.

In the fog of the aftermath, he says he will be back, but why? As his head clears in the coming days he – and hopefully those around him – may just reflect on the money he’s made, the career he’s had and step aside while he’s fit and healthy.