Anthony Joshua's brutal demise ends hopes of blockbuster Tyson Fury showdown

The show was spectacular but the real pyrotechnics came from the man they call Dynamite.

And when his right hand detonated on Anthony Joshua’s head towards the end of the first round, it reduced the two-time world champion’s hopes of making history to rubble.

Somehow, Joshua hung on until the fifth round but this was an astonishingly brutal demise and any idea he can still have some sort of defining fight with Tyson Fury is surely now gone forever.

Daniel Dubois was truly devastating but this felt like the end for Joshua. It was painful to watch a great sportsman end up like this.

For Dubois, a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk or a fight with Fury will be lined up - for Joshua, it should simply be the conclusion of a fine career.

READ MORE: Anthony Joshua told he is ‘finished’ after being 'bullied' by Daniel Dubois

READ MORE: Anthony Joshua's face left disfigured from huge Daniel Dubois punch

He cannot allow himself to take this sort of punishment again. No-one wants to see a fighter as honourable and as talented as Joshua end up in such a crumpled mess on the canvas.

As gruesome as Joshua’s loss was - and it really should have been stopped before the horribly grim end in the fifth round - this was just the sort of epic occasion British boxing needed, a reminder of the voracious appetite for live events that fight fans in this country have always had.

Let’s be honest, as good a stadium as Wembley is, those in the gods behind what would normally be goals were looking at dots in the distance.

And Joshua and Dubois are big lads.

But they were here to be part of a landmark night, a night when an astonishing 96,000 people came to watch a boxing match.

Sure, the undercard was unusually good - highlights being Anthony Cacace’s clinical win over Josh Warrington - but the majority of the record crowd was here for one reason.

And that was to see a fighter who has been filling arenas since turning professional after winning gold at London 2012.

This was Joshua’s third Wembley gig, 90,000 having watched his sensational showdown with Wladimir Klitschko in 2017 and another 78,000 coming to the national stadium for his defeat of Alexander Povetkin.

And he has also fought in front of 75,000 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff and 60,000 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Quite simply, the 34-year-old is a big-time fighter. Or was once a big-time fighter.

Joshua was the headliner here. Dubois, 27, had been in marquee fights, sure. Over 60,000 saw him beaten by Oleksandr Usyk in Poland last year.

But this was a whole new ball game for Dubois.

Only in this unique environment could one man look so isolated amongst so many people.

It was a special atmosphere, not even spoiled by two renditions of Sweet Caroline after Liam Gallagher had shouted his way through three Oasis numbers.

But the magnificent Dubois took it in his stride, making his way to the ring first despite being the man with the world championship belt.

At least Joshua did not make him wait too long, although they both had to hang around while, for a rather few surreal moments, the national anthem of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was sung.

And that is where Dubois will no doubt be heading next.

Hopefully, for his own good, Joshua will be heading for retirement.