ANTHONY JOSHUA says that he “let himself down” after his ring rant following the split-decision defeat by Oleksandr Usyk in their thrilling heavyweight rematch.
An emotional AJ said said: “I’ll be the first to admit, I let myself down.
“I acted out of pure passion and emotion and when not controlled it ain’t great.
“I love this sport so, so much and I’ll be better from this point on. Respect.”
While Usyk could now fight Tyson Fury in a sensational £125m super-fight back in Saudi Arabia in December, with the Gypsy King ready to return for the unification.
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Former coach blames Joshua’s cornermen
Paul Walmsley has blamed the cornermen for both of the Anthony Joshua’s world title losses to Oleksandr Usyk.
Joshua’s former coach tweeted in the aftermath of Saturday’s bout: “Big Josh let down by woeful cornermen in both fights.”
When asked by a fan what he would’ve done differently if he was in AJ’s corner on the night, Walmsley responded in depth: “Front foot pressure, staying in front of him as he moves.
“Let his shots go as Usyk came in (Josh has the longer reach) therefore more chance of landing. Also easier to control ring space and put pressure on Usyk
“Josh kept pushing away as Usyk came in giving him more space to move.”
Rob McCraken was by Joshua’s side when Usyk beat him the first time at White Hart Lane.
He was replaced by American mastermind Robert Garcia ahead of the second fight, but to no avail.
Olek travels with lucky Liolia
Oleksandr Usyk was spotted at the airport leaving Saudi Arabia after defeating Anthony Joshua for the second time.
And Usyk’s heroics can be attributed to the lucky donkey that was given to him by his daughter Yelizaveta when they were separated due to the raging war between Ukraine and Russia.
The Champ hasn’t let the teddy, in the form of Disney character Eeyore, whom he’s re-named Liolia – leave his sight ever since.
Liolia was present during his victory over Joshua – and was right by his side again as he jetted out of the Middle Eastern region.
The donkey’s head was seen poking out of Usyk’s Louis Vuitton rucksack while he collected his boarding pass from Turkish Airlines, in footage attained by Michael Benson.
Usyk was all smiles despite sporting two black eyes from the enthralling spectacle on the weekend.
Credit: INSTAGRAM @BIGMAZI Joshua-Usyk news
Anthony Joshua has admitted he let himself down with his rant after losing to Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night.
Speaking on social media, he said: “I wish @usykaa continued success in your quest for greatness. You are a class act champ.
“Yesterday I had to mentally take myself into a dark place to compete for the championship belts!
“I had two fights, one with Usyk and one with my emotions and both got the better of me.
He then went on to add: “I’ll be the first to admit, I let myself down.
“I acted out of pure passion and emotion and when not controlled it ain’t great.
“I love this sport so, so much and I’ll be better from this point on. Respect.”
Meanwhile, AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed how he could be back in the ring later this year.
He told talkSPORT: “I’d like to see him back out. Maybe even in late December.
“There’s massive fights for him. Dillian Whyte, Deontay Wilder.
“There’s so many fights for him in the top [ten]. There’s even some Brits for him that are coming through in a couple of fights as well.”
And finally, Tyson Fury has vowed to become the undisputed world heavyweight champ in a record £125million Saudi Arabia superfight with Oleksandr Usyk in December.
Fury declared on Instagram: “England has been relieved of its belts but there is a remedy.
“If you want those belts back then send in the Gypsy barbarian.”
Saudi showdown
Tyson Fury has vowed to become the undisputed world heavyweight champ in a record £125million Saudi Arabia superfight with Oleksandr Usyk in December.
Fury declared on Instagram: “England has been relieved of its belts but there is a remedy.
“If you want those belts back then send in the Gypsy barbarian.”
And recalling his 2015 triumph over Usyk’s countryman Wladimir Klitschko, Fury added: “Send me in and I will relieve the Ukrainian dosser of his belts like I did the last Ukrainian dosser.
“But it’s not going to be cheap, if you want the best you have to pay.
“It’s going to be very expensive, so get your f***ing cheque book out and I will relieve the Ukrainian dosser of the belts.”
Read more HERE.
Stop Joshing
Boxing judge Glenn Feldman was confronted after he controversially scored Anthony Joshua as a winner against Oleksandr Usyk.
England’s Steve Gray wisely went 115-113 Usyk, 35, and Ukraine’s Victor Fesechko fairly called it 116-112 to his compatriot.
But American Feldman stuck out having seen it 115-113 to Joshua, 32, drawing criticism.
In a rare moment, online outlet ID Boxing managed to confront the experienced judge.
Reporter Rob Tebbutt asked: “How did you score that fight for Anthony Joshua, Glenn?”
Feldman responded: “Just the way I did.”
Probed further, he then said: “I can’t, you’d have to talk to my supervisor.”
Kell of a look
Ebanie Bridges joked the outfit she wore to watch Anthony Joshua’s loss to Oleksandr Usyk was picked out by Kell Brook.
Bantamweight world champion Bridges, 35, went to Boxpark Croydon with retired welterweight Brook, 36, for the huge heavyweight clash on Saturday night.
On Sunday, Bridges then shared an image of herself with the ex-world champ and claimed he had selected her outfit for the evening.
Speaking on social media, she said: “He picked this outfit… #ThanksKell.”
Prior to AJ’s split decision defeat to Usyk, Bridges posted a picture of her and Brook.
And she added a flirty caption which read: “Imagine the kids 👀 #JustSaying”.
Tale of the tape
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk could finally be set to clash following the Ukrainian’s second win over Anthony Joshua last night.
Usyk showed off his class yet again to win in Saudi Arabia on a split decision.
Taking hold of the microphone following AJ’s bizarre outburst, Usyk declared the only boxer in the world he is willing to fight is Fury.
The Gypsy King was keeping close tabs on last night’s brilliant action.
And he responded by insisting he would happily knock out another Ukrainian, having already dethroned the legendary Wladimir Klitschko.
But how do Fury and Usyk stack up against each other?
‘Fair play to him’
Conor McGregor leapt to Anthony Joshua’s defence over his “great speech” following defeat to Oleksandr Usyk.
Following a repeat result in their Saudi Arabia rematch, Joshua, 32, raised eyebrows as he produced a bizarre post-fight speech.
Sky Sports pundit Carl Froch, 45, and even Joshua’s training partner Frazer Clarke, 31, slammed the incident.
But UFC legend McGregor, 34, tweeted: “You are all going on ridiculous over this. That is a great speech right there.
“Fair play to him he made it yet he is still in there keeping that cog going.
“If they wanted the mic they could’ve tried get it back. Then he gives me a shout out. Great fight, thank you!”
AJ did not mention McGregor at any point but hailed Usyk, 35, as the “champ champ” – a phrase the Irishman made famous.
Joshua reflects on Usyk display
Anthony Joshua has admitted he let himself down with his rant after losing to Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night.
Speaking on social media, he said: “I wish @usykaa continued success in your quest for greatness. You are a class act champ.
“Yesterday I had to mentally take myself into a dark place to compete for the championship belts!
“I had two fights, one with Usyk and one with my emotions and both got the better of me.
He then went on to add: “I’ll be the first to admit, I let myself down.
“I acted out of pure passion and emotion and when not controlled it ain’t great.
“I love this sport so, so much and I’ll be better from this point on. Respect.”
Ring it in
Tyson Fury has trolled Anthony Joshua for “talking absolute rubbish” in the ring after losing to Oleksandr Usyk.
AJ was beaten on points for the second time in the space of a year to Ukrainian great Usyk.
But following a repeat result in their rematch in Saudi Arabia, Joshua raised eyebrows as he produced a bizarre post-fight speech.
AJ spoke about his late start in boxing after avoiding jail, how he is heavier than legends of the past and Ukraine’s series of wars.
Arch rival Fury, 34, took aim at Joshua, 32, by reposting a meme of himself on Instagram.
The WBC champion is pictured on his way to the ring in his last fight, with the caption: “AJ running back to the ring to talk absolute rubbish.”
Frazer Clarke apologise for AJ
Anthony Joshua’s former team-mate Frazer Clarke apologised on his behalf for his lengthy rant in the wake of losing to Oleksandr Usyk.
Speaking on Sky Sports, he said: “As a gym friend and a friend in general, for anyone that is offended by what happened, I think I can just apologise on his behalf for the outburst.
“He might be mad at me for saying this and the whole team might be mad at me for saying this, but I feel like he was left out to dry by the team. I feel like someone should have saved him.
“It’s words but in the true reflection of boxing, that was Oleksandr Usyk’s time to celebrate that victory and he didn’t get to do it straight away.
“I just don’t think that was right but once again, Anthony is a great person, he does a lot for a lot of people, he’s done a lot for me, but I feel like he had a bit of a bad one there and it was out of character.
“There were no excuses, that was Oleksandr Usyk’s time. To the people around him, where were you? Someone should have jumped in there.
“Someone should have stopped him and saved him from himself. It was only words, but it was the wrong time.”
Punch stats – a look at the details
In terms of individual rounds, Usyk outlanded Joshua in nine of the 12.
AJ managed to land more punches in the first two rounds – but his only victory after that came in the ninth when his onslaught fell short of securing a stoppage win.
Usyk ended with a total punches landed of 170 compared with Joshua’s 124.
But Joshua actually did have a marginally higher percentage of punches landed – 25 per cent to Usyk’s 24.
Usyk on Tyson Fury’s claims
Oleksandr Usyk has hit back after Tyson Fury claimed he could beat the Ukrainian and Anthony Joshua in the same night.
Fury mocked his heavyweight rivals following Usyk’s rematch win on points against AJ in Saudi Arabia.
Fury said: “After watching that, the both of them were s***e. It was one of the worst heavyweight title fights I have ever seen.
“It was bulls***. Come on! I’d beat annihilate both of them on the same night. F***ing s***e.
“Get your f***ing chequebook out because the Gypsy King is here to stay, forever.”
Usyk, who wants to face Fury in an undisputed decider, had a blunt response.
He quipped: “That’s what he’s dreaming every day. I’m gonna beat his ass.”
Syk feeling for AJ
Anthony Joshua was left visibly fuming after defeat to Oleksandr Usyk – despite Vasiliy Lomachenko’s best efforts to console him.
Lomachenko watched ringside in Saudi Arabia as his close friend Usyk beat AJ for a second time.
And the double Olympic and ex-unified champion then appeared to congratulate Joshua on his performance.
But the beaten and distraught British star was having none of it.
Joshua said: “F*** that s***, good boxing has to win. F*** that s***.”
AJ was then seen irate in the corner as members of his team tried to calm him down.
AJ won’t retire, says Hearn
Hearn was quick to shut down any talk of retirement following Anthony Joshua’s defeat to Usyk, one of the finest boxers in the business.
He said: “People talked in the build-up about him retiring.
“When you lose a split decision to the pound-for-pound number one, why would you contemplate retirement?
“It’s about passion. It’s about if you still want it. You could see how much he wanted it by his post-fight interview.”
‘Massive fight’ with Whyte or Wilder next for AJ, says Hearn
AJ could return in a massive fight by December following defeat to Oleksandr Usyk again.
The British superstar, for the second time in the space of a year, was beaten on points by the pound-for-pound No1.
It leaves AJ out of the heavyweight title picture but still in line to face some of the biggest names in the division.
Promoter Eddie Hearn told talkSPORT: “I’d like to see him back out. Maybe even in late December.
“There’s massive fights for him. Dillian Whyte, Deontay Wilder.
“There’s so many fights for him in the top [ten]. There’s even some Brits for him that are coming through in a couple of fights as well.”
‘A crack in the armour’, says AJ
AJ added: “it comes at a cost, a big cost. It’ll never break me, but it takes real strength for it not to break me. And tonight, there’s a little crack in the armour when I took a loss.
“And I think you just saw me just upset. And with the speech, I was just speaking about where I come from. I was on the roads, really.
“And I made a transition to boxing that really changed my life and brought me closer to God and brought me closer to meeting so many people.
“And I just kind of laid it all on the line with my speech. But let’s not forget the champ Oleksandr Usyk. He put on a phenomenal performance as well. So credit to him.
“I can’t remember what I said in the ring because it was just so passionate. But I just want to say thank you to him for taking part in a great historical fight as well. It takes two to tango. I was just so upset.”
More on AJ post-fight press conference
Joshua said: “When you’re trying to do things from the heart and everyone is just not understanding. It was just from the heart. I was mad at myself. Not anyone else just myself.
“So I thought, I’ve got to get out of here because I’m mad. Like anyone, when you’re angry, you might do stupid things.
“I was mad and 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, yeah, and I’m a hustler so I try put things together. Try work hard and put things together and make sure my team’s good.
AJ emotional in post-fight press conference
Anthony Joshua broke down in tears in his post-match press conference as he discussed his meltdown following his loss to Oleksandr Usyk.
Joshua suffered a second successive defeat to Usyk via split decision at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Saudi Arabia last night.
After the result was announced, AJ threw the Ukrainian star’s belts out of the ring before appearing to storm off.
The Brit then decided to return to the squared circle to hijack the mic and deliver a bizarre speech to the crowd.
The 32-year-old got emotional in his press conference as he explained this was “from the heart” and came as a result of him being “mad” at himself.
Joshua to return before end of year
AJ has revealed he wants to return to the ring in November or December just hours after suffering a devastating second loss to Oleksandr Usyk.
The Brit was more competitive in his rematch with Usyk for the heavyweight titles.
Joshua has answered those questions by vowing to return before the end of 2022.
Speaking after the loss, he said: “I will become three-time world heavyweight champion.”
AJ added: “About who I fight. Come one and come all I will fight anybody.”
AJ lucky to be held back from my team, says Usyk
Anthony Joshua was lucky not to get beaten up by Oleksandr Usyk’s team as “most of them” are “horrible street fighters”, says the heavyweight champion.
The 32-year-old Brit lost his cool after being defeated by Usyk for a second time.
And Joshua’s behaviour hasn’t gone down well with Usyk.
The Ukrainian, 35, says he still respects AJ – but says he was “bullying some of my team-mates”.
Usyk said: “I feel nothing but respect to AJ. I saw him a bit emotional and like bullying some of my team-mates.
“That would be a bare-knuckle fight that I don’t recommend him to do because most of them are horrible street fighters.”
More on Fury vs Usyk
Fury does have 32 victories, but like Usyk he is also unbeaten, with the only blemish on his record a controversial draw against Deontay Wilder.
As for knockouts, Fury is the KO king with 23 knockouts to Usyk’s 13.
The Morecambe man also has a huge height advantage, standing at 6ft 9in to Usyk’s 6ft 3in.
It means Fury has a reach advantage too, with his arms measuring in at 85in while Usyk has a 78in reach.
The two men do have different stances, with Fury an orthodox fighter and Usyk boxing as a southpaw.
And a battle between the pair would surely be one for the ages.
Boxing fans will now wait with bated breath to see if Fury truly does come out of retirement.
Punch stats – a look at the details
In terms of individual rounds, Usyk outlanded Joshua in nine of the 12.
AJ managed to land more punches in the first two rounds – but his only victory after that came in the ninth when his onslaught fell short of securing a stoppage win.
Usyk ended with a total punches landed of 170 compared with Joshua’s 124.
But Joshua actually did have a marginally higher percentage of punches landed – 25 per cent to Usyk’s 24.
However, it was ultimately futile as Usyk had his hand raised despite the judges scorecards being closer than many expected.
And the beating Usyk inflicted on Joshua in the final nine minutes will go down in history as one of the great heavyweight performances in the key, championship rounds.
Won and lost in the final three rounds
It was the champion’s remarkable final three rounds which saw him clinch the win.
After a breathtaking ninth round saw Joshua rock Usyk and land 28 punches to the Ukrainian’s nine, the former undisputed cruiserweight champion came out for the 10th and dismantled all hope of a British victory.
Usyk landed 39 punches in the 10th round – the highest number any fighter has ever landed on Joshua over three minutes.
And he then went on to land a further 23 in the 11th and 17 in the final round.
That totals 79 punches landed in the final three rounds – a spell which ultimately took the fight away from Joshua – with AJ landing just 29 over the same period.
Usyk lands title defence
AJ suffered another defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.
The Brit, 32, was outboxed by the magical Ukrainian as Usyk claimed a split decision victory – 113-115, 115-113 and 116-112.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
