Anthony Joshua vowed to fight on despite being crushed inside five rounds by IBF world heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois at Wembley.
Joshua was floored four times as the magnificent Dubois launched a relentless assault from the first bell that eventually ended with the clear favourite being counted out following a thrilling exchange of blows.
It was a devastating defeat and the fourth of his career which robs him of a shot at becoming undisputed world champion.
But despite such a one-sided all-British showdown that lived up to explosive expectations, Joshua refused to walk away.
âYouâre probably asking if I still want to consider fighting. Of course I want to continue fighting,â said Joshua, who declined to take questions at the post-fight press conference.
âWe took a shot at success and we came up short. What does that mean now? That weâre going to run away? Weâre going to live to fight another day. And thatâs what I am â Iâm a warrior.
âAlways walk with your head high. We rolled the dice for the third time. There have been 13 world-title fights, not every one of them has been successful but every one has been fun and entertaining.
âThere were a few mistakes in there but thatâs the name of the game. Fine margins will cost you at the top level.
âAlso before I finish, we have to give credit our opponent Daniel. When I sign up to fight opponents, I donât really like them in my head any more. But now that itâs done, I take my hat off to him and say well done.â
Joshua never properly recovered from being floored by a devastating overhand right from Dubois towards the end of the first round that saw him beat the 10-count before the bell immediately came to his rescue.
Promoter Eddie Hearn backed Joshua to continue fighting, drawing confidence from the way he wobbled Dubois with successive right hands in an action-packed fifth round.
âEveryone is very fickle, arenât they? Yesterday he was in the form of his life, has never looked better â wow, this is unbelievable this new resurgence,â Hearn said.
âHe has a bad start, gets dropped, tries to recover his feet and just goes to war with no legs. And finds a way back into the fight and walks on to one.
âItâs heavyweight boxing and that was the danger of this fight. It was a thriller and we just felt the tide was about to change, but you have to give Daniel credit.â
Dubois was accused of quitting following his defeats by Joe Joyce and Oleksandr Usyk and was forced to rebuild, leading to this stunning victory.
Now he will await the outcome of Usykâs rematch with Tyson Fury on December 21 as he plots his route to becoming the heavyweightâs undisputed king.
âIt was going to be my night tonight, by any means necessary. They were all saying IÂ was going to get knocked out but we all saw who got knocked out,â Dubois said.
âI did the business and Iâm glad I proved everyone wrong. But this is just the start of my journey. I want to get my rematch (against Usyk) and put that wrong right.
âThe Lord had my back tonight and I had my family around me. I couldnât be denied.
âHe could have thrown everything at me and I would have come through it. It felt like a dream in the ring. I just had to seize the moment.â
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