LONDON: Britain`s Daniel Dubois destroyed Anthony Joshua`s dream of becoming a three times heavyweight world champion with a fifth-round knockout to retain his IBF belt at a packed Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

Dubois dropped his compatriot to the canvas in the opening round with a stinging right, the referee delivering a standing eight count, and the 27-yearold proceeded to tear up the pre-fight predictions as swiftly as he ripped into his opponent.

Joshua, 34, took another hammering in round two but managed to ride out the storm before round three came crash-ing down around him again.

With Dubois landing more fizzing right-handers, Joshua was literally on the ropes before being saved by the bell.

He could barely stand at the end of the fourth, after going down again with two minutes remaining, and then it was all over in the fifth with the painstaking rebuilding of his career suddenly in ruins.

After landing a few promising blows, any signs of a fightback faded with a right to the chin that sent Joshua down, the former IBF, WBA and IBO champion this time unable to get back on his feet.

`I`ve only got a few words tosay: Are you not entertained?, declared Dubois after the biggest win, and first at Wembley, of a 24-fight career with two defeats.

`I`m a gladiator, I`m a warrior to the bitter end. I want to get to 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.

Organisers said a British post-World War Two record of 96,000 spectators attended the Saudi-funded fight at London`s Wembley Stadium.

Among them was Ukraine`sWBC, WBA and WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk.

Usyk has beaten both Joshua and Dubois already and will fight Britain`s Tyson Fury, also present, in a rematch in Saudi Arabia in December.

Joshua might have hoped to have a crack at the winner of that fight but instead faces an uncertain future with Dubois sending a seismic ripple through the landscape.

Dubois said he hoped for another shot at Usyk, who beat him in nine rounds in Wroclaw, Poland, last year.

Usyk previously held the IBF beltbutvacateditforthe Fury rematch, with Dubois theinterim holder and upgraded to world champion in June.

`Credit to him and his team.

We rolled the dice of success, but we came up short,` said Joshua after his 13th world heavyweight title fight left him with a record of four defeats from 32 bouts. `I had a sharp opponent, a fast opponent and a lot of mistakes from my end, but that`s the game.

Joshua`s promoter Eddie Hearn said he expected to exercise a rematch clause.

`It`s a dangerous fight because he`s growing in confidence all the time but he`ll believe he can beat him,` he said.-Reuters