Daniel Dubois brutally knocked out Anthony Joshua in the fifth round of a frantic fight on Saturday night.

‘Triple D’ had Joshua on the canvas four times en route to a dominant stoppage victory in front of 96,000 at Wembley Stadium.

Dubois battered Joshua from pillar to postCredit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom

With that, Dubois successfully defended his IBF heavyweight title and punched his ticket for a fight with the winner of Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk II on December 21 – who were both ringside on the night.

HE Turki Alalshikh had hoped to make the long-awaited all-British showdown between Joshua and Fury next but Dubois has now spoiled those plans emphatically.

Dubois got off to a confident start, forcing Joshua onto his heels in the opening round and trapping him against the ropes.

With Joshua back peddling, ‘Triple D’ looped a beautiful overhand right hand onto his adversary’s chin, which sent the Watford powerhouse tumbling to the canvas at the end of the opening stanza.

Luckily, he was saved by the bell but when he made his way off the stool, AJ looked dejected.

In the second round, he was immediately in trouble again as Dubois landed a huge right hand and piled on the pressure.

The 34-year-old held on for dear life and saw out another round by the skin of his teeth.

However, he wasn’t so lucky in the third frame as he was slumped against the bottom rope by a left hook and a series of uppercuts before being downed again at the quarter-way mark.

Dubois continued chasing the stoppage like a man possessed and in the fifth frame he eventually got it, as Joshua opened up and went out on his shield.

Joshua backed up ‘Triple D’ with two big right hands but was caught by a clubbing straight on the way in and knocked unconscious.

Joshua was tagged by a right hand in the fifth roundCredit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom

He went down flat on his faceCredit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom

And he never recoveredCredit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom

Speaking in the immediate aftermath, an overjoyed Dubois said: “I’ve only got a few words to say: ‘Are you not entertained?!’

“It’s been a long journey, I’m grateful to be in this position.

“I’m a gladiator, I’m a warrior to the bitter end. I want to reach the top level of this game and reach my full potential.

“I’ve been on a rollercoaster ride.

“This is my time, this is my redemption story, and I’m not going to stop until I reach my full potential.”

Joshua then took to the mic, to say: “Credit to him and his team. We rolled the dice of success, but we came up short.

“You know I’m ready to kick off in the ring, but I’m going to keep my cool, keep very professional, and give respect to my opponent.

Dubois retains his IBF beltCredit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom

Fury watched the fight unfold from ringsideCredit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom

“I’m always saying to myself I’m a fighter for life… We keep rolling the dice.

“I had a sharp opponent, a fast opponent and a lot of mistakes from my end, but that’s the game.”

Despite the devastating defeat, it appears Joshua will get a second bite of the cherry, with his promoter Eddie Hearn confirming post-fight that there is a rematch clause in their contracts.

“It was the first round, after that, he was fighting on heart and desire. I’m so proud because he never gave up, his legs were deceiving him and he kept on trying.

“When you are in there with a massive puncher this is what can happen. He never stopped trying to get up, even when he couldn’t get up.

“Daniel deserves credit, he’s a real-world champion. Congratulations to him…

“I’m sure he’ll exercise that rematch clause, it’s a given, it’s a dangerous fight because he’s growing in confidence all the time but he’ll believe he can beat him.”