‘He was in a trance’ – Daniel Dubois’ trainer claims he spotted bizarre behaviour from ‘hypnotised’ Anthony Joshua before KO

Daniel Dubois’ trainer Don Charles believed his charge had beaten Anthony Joshua before the first bell even sounded.

Dubois stepped into Wembley Stadium as an underdog, but sensationally dropped favourite Joshua four times en route to a stunning fifth round stoppage win.

It was a complete demolition job with Joshua simply unable to cope with his rival’s power, particularly after a crushing punch sent him tumbling in the opening stanza.

And Dubois’ cornerman Charles identified patterns in Joshua’s ring walk which saw him and his fighter brimming with confidence.

“My duty and focus is on us, but I know Anthony Joshua very well,” Charles said during an appearance on talkSPORT’s Jim White & Simon Jordan on Monday.

“But when I looked across the ring, I saw a man who looked like he was in a trance.

“He looked like he was in hypnosis, like he had been hypnotised. I am experienced, I can pick up on things.

“I thought ‘we’d got you’, because I didn’t recognise the person I know. He was under hypnosis.

“They said Daniel was going to get stage fright, but he looked like a man who was in a state of shock.

“He was like ‘oh my god this is real now’, he could also feel the energy from the opposition.”

Jordan, who was ringside at Wembley Stadium, even went one further by claiming the record-breaking attendance caused Joshua’s issues.

He added: “I never got any sense that Dubois would freeze in this fight at all.

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“I felt that Joshua was susceptible to what would happen to him. He seemed to be in a completely different space.

“The reason there was 96,000 people in there was for him but there was enormous pressure and he didn’t need that.

“He didn’t look prepared for it, he looked haunted by it. Dubois came in and looked prepare to fight like a hunter.

“I didn’t like the homecoming for Anthony Joshua, it was all done to anoint Anthony Joshua and that is why the air came out of the room when he was dropped.”

It is not the first performance where fans have picked up on Joshua’s pre-fight behaviour.

Many fans and experts read into Joshua’s first-ever ring walk in the US, when he was stunningly upset by Andy Ruiz Jr at Madison Square Garden in 2019.

It was a huge occasion for Joshua who missed out on the chance to make history and become a three-time heavyweight world champion.

His boxing future is now up in the air, but a rematch could take place in 2025, with both Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren open to making a second meeting.

Dubois could have some big opportunities on the horizon, and may look at the winner of Oleksandr Usyk’s rematch with Tyson Fury on December 21.