Joshua says he let himself down after tantrum in Usyk defeat

Briton Anthony Joshua said he had let himself down by allowing his emotions to get the better of him after a second straight loss to Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday, August 20.

Usyk retained his WBA, WBO, IBF, and IBO heavyweight titles with a split-decision win over Joshua, who fared better in the rematch but proved unable to dethrone the champion in an absorbing 12-round contest in Jeddah.

Following the final bell, Joshua threw down two of Usyk’s belts before storming out of the ring, only to return later and deliver an expletive-laden speech.

“I wish (Usyk) continued success in your quest for greatness. You are a class act champ,” Joshua wrote in an Instagram post on Sunday.

“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.

“I’ll be the first to admit, I let my self 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.” – Rappler.com