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 were Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, singing three songs on his 52nd birthday ahead of a reunion next year, and Ukraine’s WBC, 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 familiar heavyweight 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 belt but vacated it for the Fury rematch, with Dubois the interim holder and upgraded to world champion in June.

“I’ve only got a few words to say: 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.”

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-year-old 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 crashing 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.

“Probably get a good kip tonight, or try, it’s a difficult defeat, but at this point, you take any positives you can. The start was disastrous, the positives were the heart, guts to never give up,” Hearn said.

“Fighters say, ‘I’d rather get knocked out than go to points’, he went out on his shield. Remarkably, as bad as he performed, he could still have won the fight, fourth round he hurt Dubois, fifth round his legs buckled, but he walked onto a crushing right hand. There was no getting up.

“We have a contracted fight with Riyadh Season, which could include the Dubois rematch, we need some time. The start couldn’t have been worse. Dubois will be full of confidence, let’s see on 21 December, if Fury wins or loses.”

“We knew Dubois, he returns when he jabs, we tried to capitalise on that, but for whatever reason, things didn’t get going in the early part of the fight,” Joshua’s trainer Ben Davison said.

“Just didn’t manage to get things going early. Then, a couple of things we were trying to capitalise on, at the end, a very short spell, landing that right hand, following up moments like that, but we didn’t apply the way we wanted to. By that point, a lot has gone on, he’s not thinking straight, a very difficult pill to swallow.

“We spoke about rolling the dice, he went out on his shield, he showed he’s not [hesistant to let his hands go]. We’re very gutted.”

It was Daniel Dubois’ night and promoter Frank Warren is making sure that nobody undersells his fighter’s achievement.

“It was phenomenal, nobody has done that to AJ like that, nobody,” he said. “This man has phenomenal power, a great chin himself.

“AJ caught him with some wonderful shots, a good uppercut, he took them. He’s got a good chin, he gritter his teeth and got him with the counter.

“We started this journey together, his family, Don has done a fabulous job as his trainer. He deserves every moment. It’s been a great ride.

“There are some brilliant fights to be made, he’s a young man, 27, that’s young for a heavyweight. The guys there now, there are some brilliant fights to be made.”