Anthony Joshua last night admitted he was “disappointed” with his erratic behavior in the immediate aftermath of his world heavyweight title loss to Oleksandr Usyk.
Joshua grabbed Usyk’s WBA and Ring Magazine belts and dropped them off the ropes before grabbing the mic and launching into a confused rant.
Super middleweight legend Carl Froch accused him of stealing Usyk’s moment, while Joshua’s gym partner Frazer Clarke said his team should have been “saved from themselves” , who “hung it out to dry.”
Joshua said: “I’ll be the first to admit that I’m disappointed. I acted out of pure passion and emotion and when I’m not in control it’s not great. I love this sport so, so much and I’ll be better from now on.
Anthony Joshua has spoken out on social media for the first time since his heavyweight loss
“Yesterday (Saturday) I had to take myself to a dark place mentally to compete for the championship belts. I had two fights, one with Usyk and one with my emotions and they both got the better of me.
“It was just from the heart. I was angry at myself. Not at anyone, just at myself. Like anyone, when you’re angry you can do stupid things, so I was mad.
“But then I realized, ‘Oh shit, this is sports, let me do the right thing and get back into it.’ I just spoke from my heart.
Promoter Eddie Hearn said: “What you saw was raw emotion. A real person who felt the pressure and really wanted to win.”
The British boxer (right) said he had to take himself to a ‘dark place’ for his fight with Usyk
Tyson Fury is back on track to meet Usyk for the undisputed world heavyweight championship in a mega-million fight in Saudi Arabia.
Team Fury is in talks to be worth even more than Saturday’s £85million bonanza which saw Ukrainian war hero Usyk retain his WBA, IBF and WBO belts. The fight to unify those titles with Fury’s WBC belt is scheduled for December 17.
This is the night before the 2022 World Cup finals in neighboring Qatar and the fight would intensify attention in the Middle East. Prince Mohammad Abdulaziz, Saudi Minister of Sports, confirmed: “We are very interested in the fight for the undisputed heavyweight title. We are looking to do it in the city of Riyadh.
After beating Joshua for the second time, Usyk, 35, said: “The fight with Fury is the only one I want. If that doesn’t happen, I might not fight again. But I do think we will fight soon.
Fury took the first step in retracting his latest retirement claim by disparaging the efforts of Usyk and Joshua: “They were rubbish and I’d beat them both on the same night”, then proclaimed: “The Gypsy King it’s here to Stay forever, so get out your fucking checkbook.
The WBC has given Fury until Friday to withdraw before declaring his title vacant. Fury has spoken of waiting for £420m to re-enter the fray. He will have to amend that suit but can expect to collect between £45m and £50m from a fight package worth at least £125m.
Tyson Fury will reportedly not retire from boxing to fight Usyk again in December
‘I had two fights, one with Usyk and one with my emotions and they both got the better of me… I was let down’: Anthony Joshua opens up about his weird antics after world heavyweight title loss, before praising the Ukrainian “class act” and wishing him success
RYAN WALKER BY SPORSMAIL
Anthony Joshua has spoken out on social media for the first time following his split decision loss to Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia on Saturday evening.
The Briton was overcome with emotion as he gave a strange post-fight monologue from ringside following the devastating defeat which cost him the chance to regain his heavyweight championship belts.
Joshua then broke down in tears during his post-fight press conference after being asked if he was proud of how he performed against the Ukrainian.
Joshua praised his competitor in a short statement posted on his Twitter account (pictured)
The former champion revealed he had to take himself to a “dark place” for the rematch with Usyk and explained that his emotions got the better of him in a short statement posted online.
Writing on his Twitter less than 24 hours later, Joshua said: “I wish Usyk continued success in your pursuit of greatness.”
“You are a class champion. Yesterday I had to mentally take myself to a dark place to compete for the championship belts!
Joshua was furious after the fight and threw Usyk’s belts out of the ring after the result
The Englishman broke down in tears during his post-fight press conference in Saudi Arabia
“I had two fights, one with Usyk and one with my emotions and both got the better of me.”
The orthodox Watford-born boxer offered a further update in a later tweet as he admitted to being let down:
“I’ll be the first to admit that I let myself down. I acted out of pure passion and emotion and when I’m not in control it’s not great.
“I really like this sport and I will be better from now on. Respect.’
Joshua hoped to regain his status as world heavyweight champion during his rematch against Ring magazine’s No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter as the bout went the distance at King Abdullah Sports City.
However, his actions after the result have attracted slightly more attention than the result itself, with Joshua coming in for heavy criticism for his response to the defeat.
Joshua threw two of Usyk’s belts out of the ring and onto the floor at the end as he headed to his dressing room before storming back to shake Usyk’s hand.
Anthony Joshua (left) is expected to take a break from boxing as Oleksandr Usyk targets a unification bout with England’s Tyson Fury
He then stole the mic from the ring and went on an X-rated rant, talking about the fight, his career, the current crisis in Ukraine and also did some cheers for his opponent.
Joshua will now take an expected break from boxing while he figures out what steps to take as Usyk targets a heavyweight unification fight with Fury.