Anthony Joshua has admitted he let himself down with his actions after his defeat by Oleksandr Usyk.
Joshua lost to the Ukrainian for the second time in 11 months as he failed to win back his three heavyweight world titles in Saudi Arabia. The Brit then stormed out of the ring before returning to deliver an X-rated speech which left many in the crowd baffled.
Joshua, who has now lost three of his last five fights, has now admitted he took himself to a "dark place'" in the fight and admits he later lost control. "I wish Oleksandr Usyk continued success in your quest for greatness. You are a class act champ," he wrote on social media.
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. Respect."
Joshua produced a much-improved performance in the rematch but was unable to match Usyk's skill and elusiveness in Jeddah. The champion will now target an undisputed clash with Tyson Fury while Joshua is left to lick his wounds and consider his next move.
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Joshua insists, however, he will not retire, and plans to fight before the end of the year. "I spoke to Eddie [Hearn] and asked him if it’s possible to get out in November because momentum is important in boxing. Eddie said December,” he said. “If it’s about who I fight, it’s come one, come all. Whoever wants it can get it, I don’t mind."
Hearn has promised a busier schedule for the man whose future fights will be screened by DAZN as part of an £86million deal that was paused to enable Sky Sports to screen the Usyk rematch on pay-per-view in the UK.
"We want to see AJ active. There have been too many gaps between fights,” Hearn said. "I would like to see him get back to enjoying himself, get back to the pressures of working his way back up to the championship belt. Now he will actually really start to enjoy himself."
