Eddie Hearn admitted Anthony Joshua had a “disastrous” start following his knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium.

The 34-year-old went into the fight hoping to join boxing’s elite, including three-time world champion Muhammad Ali.

Taking place in front of a record crowd of 96,000 under the famous dome, the fight promised to be a “firefight” with neither fighter looking to defend or win points, instead looking for a knockdown.

And it was Dubois who put in a mature performance, dominating the champion twice in four and a half rounds before a dramatic exchange in the fifth saw the underdog deliver the decisive blow.

Joshua’s promoter Hearn later gave his verdict on the contest, explaining that his fighter had made a poor start and failed to recover.

He said: ‘It’s a tough defeat but at this point you have to try and take every positive you can.

‘It started off really badly. The only positive was the incredible heart and courage he showed to never give up.

‘Even though he did badly tonight, he could have won.

‘In the fourth round he hurt Dubois, in the fifth round Dubois’ leg buckled. But he came in with a big right hand.’

Hearn’s assessment came after Joshua expressed his desire to “keep fighting” despite the huge defeat in London on Saturday night.

He told reporters: ‘You’re probably asking me if I still want to keep fighting, of course I want to keep fighting.

‘We tried and we failed and what does that mean now? Are we going to run away?

‘We’ll live to fight another day. And that’s who I am – I’m a warrior.’

Immediately after the fight, Joshua admitted he wanted to “get started in this ring” after his brutal knockout in the fifth round.

‘Credit goes to [Dubois] and his team,’ he said. ‘We rolled the dice, and we didn’t.’

‘You know, I was ready to go in the ring, but I’m going to stay calm, be very professional and respect my opponent.

‘I always tell myself I’m a fighter fighting for life… We’re just going to keep playing the odds.

‘I was up against a strong, fast opponent and there were a lot of mistakes on my part, but that’s the game.’

The fight was fast-paced from the first round, with Joshua enduring a ferocious onslaught from his younger opponent that he won’t soon forget.

A flurry of straight punches was followed by a powerful right hand that stunned Joshua late in the round, sending the former champion to his knees but miraculously surviving the count with a little help from the bell.

The second three-minute bout played out in a similar fashion. A good shot early in the round stunned AJ but the 34-year-old somehow kept his balance using the ropes and his opponent’s body.

In the third, Dubois landed a right hand that sent the Watford player staggering back again as a stunned, almost silent Wembley crowd watched in awe at Dubois’s masterful display.

The chaos escalated towards the end of the third round as Dubois continued to land costly blows, with the bell even ringing before the referee could count.

Once he understood, he believed Joshua could continue fighting – but for how much longer?

An exciting fight threatened to descend into farce after the former champion stumbled twice at the start of the fourth round, causing confusion at Wembley, with the referee counting the first as a knockdown and counting back a confused Joshua, who thumped his chest in defiance.

A hot-headed Dubois then charged straight back and hit Joshua again. After such punishment, it was incredible that the pre-fight favourite was still standing and winning.

Then came the stunning fifth.

The former champion caught Dubois by surprise with a powerful right hand that left the youngster in serious trouble.

As Joshua felt the blood flowing, Dubois then landed the right hand of his life just moments before the two-time champion could land the decisive blow.

This time Joshua failed but he went out in spectacular fashion.