Anthony Joshua posts statement clarifying ring antics after crushing Oleksandr Usyk loss

Anthony Joshua has revealed he had to take himself ‘to a dark place’ in order to try and beat Oleksandr Usyk in Jeddah after his supporters were exposed to his rare emotional side. The two-time heavyweight champion of the world has taken to social media to address his post-fight antics when he stormed back into the ring and grabbed the mic before delivering a heartfelt speech.

Joshua made it clear there were no excuses for his third career defeat, citing Usyk’s class and quality in the split-decision points victory for the Ukrainian that leaves the Brit wondering where his career goes next.

AJ was initially furious with the result as he left the ring in a huff – dropping two belts to the ground before telling his father to “get off” him, while his team attempted to diffuse the situation.

But after arriving back at the tunnel, he decided he wanted to show professionalism and return to give Usyk the credit he deserved following such an impressive, high-stakes victory.

Now Joshua has since posted on Instagram to detail how his emotions got the better of him, writing: “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.

“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.”

Joshua shed several tears in his post-fight press conference, admitting he’d struggled to keep his emotions in check amid the pressure.

“It’s been so tough,” Joshua said. “You see AJ holding it together. It comes at a cost, a big cost.

“It will never break me, but it takes real strength. Tonight there was a crack in that armour because I took a loss. You saw me upset.”

Promoter Eddie Hearn launched a passionate defence of his man, claiming he is not a fan of Tyson Fury mocking his countryman when he is down.

Hearn said of Fury: “Na, listen, this is a proper man here [Joshua], you know what I mean? A proper man who don’t talk s**t, doesn’t tell lies, he gives everybody his time.

“I don’t know Tyson Fury well enough. This guy here [AJ] is my friend, he’s a great individual, he gave everything tonight. If you want to goad him for that then you are what you are.”

He later added in a separate interview: “You saw the reaction of [Joshua] there. In Tyson Fury, this is a guy who openly says he’s had all these mental health problems and struggles, stuff like that.

“You see a guy [AJ] up there crying, as big and strong as AJ, who for years has put on a brave face. And tonight you just saw chinks in the armour.

“So if you want to see a guy who’s been through this “mental health” experience and goading someone when they’re down and when they’re devastated, that shows you the kind of man he [Fury] is.”