I’m breaking boxing’s confidentiality rule… Daniel Dubois DID KO Anthony Joshua in sparring while AJ was knocked unconscious for 5 minutes

It will be a surprise to most people if Daniel Dubois beats Anthony Joshua at Wembley on Saturday – but it would be the second time he has beaten him.

One of boxing’s many unwritten codes of conduct is that what happens in the gym, stays in the gym.

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But I’ve decided to break boxing’s omerta rule, and reveal what happened between Joshua and Dubois behind the closed doors of a Sheffield gym a decade ago.

Dubois, then an amateur teenager, was sent to Yorkshire to work with the more experienced Joshua as part of his learning process, and they practised dozens of rounds together.

One day he had to attend a gentle practice session and when he began practicing there was no indication of the drama to come.

It was youthful enthusiasm or he wanted to do it, only Daniel knows, but suddenly he landed a powerful left hook on Joshua’s chin and he fell unconscious.

My informant, whose name remains unknown, told me that the power of that punch was so great that it took Joshua five minutes to recover from that massive punch.

The horrified Joshua camp urged those who filmed the incident on their phones to clean it up.

Although the story soon spread through rumours, it was strongly denied and described as a malicious rumour.

It’s likely the memory will give the 27-year-old Dubois an extra psychological boost when he defends his IBF world heavyweight title against Joshua in London.

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I suppose I have a vested interest in both men – SunSport readers were first made aware of their potential in this column.

It was 14 years ago when I sat on the ring apron with a 20-year-old Joshua at Finchley ABC, shortly after he won the ABA title.

Joshua told me he turned down an offer of £50,000 to turn professional because he wanted to compete at the London Olympics.

Dubois took a completely different route, giving up the chance to win an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo and turning professional at the age of 20 despite having only competed in a few senior amateur competitions.

AJ and Dubois are explosive boxers and have the ability to be what Nigel Benn would call a “tear-jump”.

Horrified Joshua Camp urged those who filmed the incident on their phones to clean it up

It will depend on who makes a blockbuster film first and that means Dubois has every chance of beating the 3/10 favourite.

But Joshua has far more experience of big occasions in huge stadiums – this will be his seventh open-air fight in Britain.

As long as AJ doesn’t get reckless and leave his chin exposed, I think he’ll be too powerful for Dubois.

And I’d be surprised if he didn’t get the job done by the fourth round.