Anthony Joshua 'mad' at himself as he explains erratic behaviour after Usyk loss
Anthony Joshua broke down in tears before explaining his erratic behaviour in the immediate aftermath of his thrilling defeat to Oleksandr Usyk was the anger he felt towards himself.
After conceding a split decision in the fight in Jeddah, a furious Joshua headed to the changing room before returning to the ring, grabbing Usyk’s WBA and Ring Magazine belts and dropping them outside the ropes.
He then confronted Usyk, saying “you’re not strong, how did you beat me? How? I had character and determination”, before addressing the crowd with a confused rant about his past and his own shortcomings as a boxer.
Carl Froch accused him of stealing Usyk’s moment while his gym mate and sparring partner Frazer Clarke said he should have been “saved from himself” by his team, who “hung him out to dry”.
Hours later, as he reflected on a third professional defeat that places him on the periphery of the heavyweight division’s elite, he choked back the tears before holding his head in his hands to mask his anguish.
“Am I proud of myself? It’s really, really hard for me to say I’m proud of myself. I don’t feel anything… just… I’m upset. Deep down in my heart. Ah man… ah. Trust me. F****** hell man,” he said when asked if he felt pride by ITV News reporter Antoine Allen.
Once he had regained composure, he attempted to explain actions that have drawn heavy criticism.
“It was just from the heart. I was mad at myself. Not at anyone, just at myself. I’ve gotta get out of here because I’m mad,” Joshua said.
“Like anyone, when you’re angry you might do stupid things, so I was mad. But then I realised ‘oh s*** this is sport, let me do the right thing and come back’. I just spoke from my heart.
“It’s been so tough. You see AJ holding it together. I’m a hustler so I try and put things together. But it comes at a cost, a big cost. It will never break me, but it takes real strength not to break me.
“And this was a little crack in the armour because I took a loss. With the speech I was just speaking about where I had come from. I was on the road… really.
“I made a transition through boxing, which helped me change my life. Bringing me closer to God and meeting so many amazing people. I just laid it all on the line with my speech.
“Let’s not forget the champ Oleksandr Usyk who put on an incredible performance. I can’t remember what I said in the ring because I felt so passionate, but I want to say thank you to him for taking part in a great, historical fight as well. It takes two to tango.”
On Sunday, Joshua said, in a post across his various social media channels, that he had to mentally take himself "into a dark place to compete for the championship belts".
He added that he had "let my self down" with his actions directly after the fight and "acted out of pure passion and emotion".
Joshua was transformed from the fighter who surrendered the WBA, IBF and WBO belts to Usyk in London last September, but was still outpointed 113-115, 115-113, 116-112 by the Ukrainian southpaw.
Usyk’s movement, hand speed, ring craft and work rate underpinned an impressive victory, which came after he served as a military volunteer in Kiev following Russia’s invasion of his homeland.
“What you saw was raw emotion. A real person who was feeling the pressure and who wanted to win so badly,” said promoter Eddie Hearn as he addressed the negativity that has stalked Joshua’s career.
“You live in an online world where it’s opinion, stick, abuse. He will never tell you that he sees that pressure or feels it, but it’s impossible not to.
“I just want AJ to be happy. He’s given his whole life since he started boxing and people don’t realise what a bubble it is.
“Everybody in the country knows who he is. Everyone has got an opinion on who he is. He’s in the gym all the time with his team.
“There isn’t anyone I know who is more dedicated to the sport than him and sometimes people don’t understand the pressures that are on people’s shoulder. But he’s never ducked a challenge.
“You see these complete d********, many of them on social media, they’ve got too much to say for themselves.
“They want to pretend they are good people when AJ is someone I want my kids to look up to. That responsibility is a huge burden and AJ’s always felt it.”
What did Joshua say after the fight?
Joshua is no longer a dominant force in the division and another disappointment was his angry reaction after the fight when he grabbed two of Usyk’s belts and dropped them out of the ring.
He also confronted the champion, asking him how he won, before demanding the microphone to address the crowd.
“I am giving you my story. I was going to jail. I got bailed and started training my arse off, because if I got sentenced then I would not have been able to fight,” Joshua said.
“I could have done better, but it showed the hard work he must have put in to beat me. Please give him a round of applause as our heavyweight champion of the world.
“I’m not a 12-round fighter. I am a new breed of heavyweight. Mike Tyson, Sonny Liston – they say ‘he doesn’t throw combinations like Rocky Marciano,’ because I am 18 stone, I am heavy.
“It is hard work. This guy here is a phenomenal talent. We are going to cheer for him.”
Usyk dedicates win to Ukraine
Usyk, who was watched in the Ukraine on free-to-air TV, gave his homeland reason to cheer in the face of Russia’s invasion.
“I want to thank everyone who prayed for me and thank God for the help he gave me,” the two-weight world champion said.
“I devote this victory to my country, to my family, to my team, to all the military people who are defending the country. Thank you very much.
“Many generations are going to watch this fight, especially the round where someone tried to beat me hard, but I withstood it and turned in a different way. Thanks to God.”
Uraine's ministry of Defence tweeted congratulations to Usyk, adding: "You stood strong in the final rounds and you won, just as all Ukrainians will stand and win!"
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know...