Daniel Dubois shows Anthony Joshua his time has come

As Daniel Dubois, he of two controversial losses, made his way to the ring Saturday night to face Anthony Joshua, I heard myself mutter, “He (Dubois) is going to win.”

This revelation shocked me.

For several weeks I’ve been thinking and writing that former two-heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua would have his way with Dubois.

I wasn’t the only one. 19 out of 20 boxing writers picked Joshua to defeat Dubois. Most said by knockout.

Why? Dubois didn’t appear ready for Joshua. He had won his last two fights impressively but was on the receiving end of solid right-hands.

Joshua appeared (a keyword) to be fighting Dubois at the right time. I’m sure promoter Eddie Hearn would have agreed with that assessment. He looked supremely confident during the buildup.

The oddsmakers installed Joshua as a 4-1 favorite.

Then came the ring walk. Dubois, in the most important fight of his young career and fighting in front of 96,000 (or less) passionate boxing fans, looked content and relaxed. His recent words were as consistent as his appearance.

“I’m ready to fight,” he said a few days ago.

Joshua entered after Dubois, which is silly since Dubois is the defending IBF world champion.

He was returning to the site (Wembley Stadium) of his best win, knocking out Vladimir Klitschko to capture the heavyweight championship seven years ago.

Joshua, more experienced and fighting on the big stage for the umpteenth time, had a dreamy expression on his face.

Dubois trainer Don Charles noticed Joshua’s contentment.

“I thought ‘we’d got you because I didn’t recognize the person I know,” said Charles to Ben Davies of talksport.com.

Maybe Joshua was overconfident. He knew he was a big favorite. Perhaps he was a bit too comfortable. Hard to say.

Some have said that Joshua had the same look on his face before he was upset by Andy Ruiz in 2018. I didn’t see it then. That night, he was winning until a temple shot separated him from his senses.

Different this time. Dubois was hungry. His last two fights had done wonders for his confidence. DD was a destroyer on a mission.

He went after Joshua with purpose. The two-time heavyweight champion looked surprised and perplexed. Dubois wasn’t showing respect, as Joshua likely expected.

The young gun had the old gun on the run.

“I wasn’t going to be denied tonight,” Dubois said after the fight.

He wasn’t.

In the opening heat, Dubois attacked Joshua with jabs and a looping right that floored him. Joshua beat the count, but his legs were weak. Joshua, still buzzing, tried to fight back, but Dubois, much sharper, cracked him with more blows. Joshua landed a right in round three but also went down for the second time. The mostly pro-Joshua crowd is in shock.

Joshua, showing life, connected with a good right in round four but goes down courtesy of a Dubois’s counter shot. He beats the count once again.

Close to a minute into round five, Joshua’s right cracks Dubois hard.

Dubois backs near the ropes as Joshua rushes forward. He lands another right but eats one in return. Both fighters fire punches simultaneously. Dubois blow arrives first – depositing Joshua on the canvas for the fourth and final time.

Dubois had done it.

“I proved everyone wrong,” he said after the fight.

Everyone and then some.