ANTHONY JOSHUA’s team have been slammed for letting him have a “breakdown” after his loss to Oleksandr Usyk.
A dejected Joshua, 33, went on an impassionated rant after his second successive points defeat to the pound-for-pound king last August.
The Watford warrior took the belts from the undefeated Ukrainian and threw them on the floor before delivering an out-of-character and expletive-laden post-fight speech.
None of Joshua’s team on the night tried to intervene, which British boxing legend Ricky Hatton believes was a failure on their part.
The Hitman told Mega Casino: “I was a little bit disappointed with his last team because when he got beat by Usyk.
“Poor Anthony, he looked like he was having a bit of a breakdown in the ring.
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“You know what I mean? He got the belts and he threw them out the ring.
“And he was going to the opposite corner to congratulate them and giving a fist bump and he was a little bit aggressive.
“And I thought to myself, somebody needs to get a grip of him maybe, he doesn’t look like he’s handling this really well.
“And then he got the microphone.
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“And I was watching it in Tenerife with my mates, and I was practically screaming at the TV saying, ‘Somebody get the mic off him.’
“Get the mic off him and put your arm around him and say, ‘Come on, AJ, son, come on, come on, let’s get back to the changing room.
“‘Let’s regroup, mate.’You know what I mean? But they didn’t.”
Hatton believes some of the blame for Joshua’s post-fight antics lies at the feet of his coaching team on the night – which consisted of the recently-departed Robert Garcia and long-time trainer Angel Fernandez.
He said: “Your job as a coach is not just to do what those 12 three-minute rounds and when the final bell goes, that’s it your job’s done.
“No, your job is to look after your fighter until he leaves the venue.
“People don’t realise how much pressure you’re on at that high, bigger stage of a high-profile of a fight.
“So, he’s obviously not taken it well, which sometimes we don’t.
“And I just think his team has just stood there and just let him carry on and carry on, carry on.
“Of course, I wish I could have jumped in the TV myself. “
Former two-time unified heavyweight champ Joshua is set to return to the ring in April, although an opponent has not yet been finalised.
And promoter Eddie Hearn admits a third straight defeat could bring the curtain down on the Olympian’s glittering career.
The Matchroom Boxing chief told iFL TV: “You go into that fight in April and you know that defeat, it’s all over, really.
“It would be a third back-to-back defeat and yet a great performance and a showroom knockout will get everyone saying, ‘We’re back, baby.’
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“That’s what I can’t wait for because I love it when our backs are against the wall.
“I’m excited. I’m really excited. This is the most excited I’ve been in Joshua’s journey so far.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
