Dwayne Johnson has backed Anthony Joshua to return "even better" than before following the British boxer's shock defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr at New York's Madison Square Garden.
Joshua has targeted an immediate rematch after losing his IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight titles to Ruiz Jr in a disastrous US debut fight.
Despite being the significant favourite against an opponent who had been given little more than a month's notice and had lost his only previous world title fight, Joshua suffered four knockdowns in what became a one-sided upset.
He was eventually rescued in the seventh round by referee Mike Griffin when, after returning to his feet for the fourth time - the two knockdowns in the seventh followed two similarly hurtful ones in the third, which came after Ruiz Jr's only knockdown - he was no longer able to defend himself.
The 29-year-old had established himself as the world's leading heavyweight by so memorably retiring Wladimir Klitschko in 2017, but so unexpected a defeat has damaged his reputation.
Joshua was magnanimous in defeat, posting a picture of himself with Ruiz Jr on Instagram with the caption: "This is Andy's night, congratulations Champ".
Joshua's post gained praise from movie star and former WWE wrestler Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, who replied: "Class act. You'll be back even better brother."
Johnson's post gained over 55,000 likes, and Joshua is already thinking about reclaiming his belts in a rematch provisionally scheduled this winter.
"Look out for the end of the year, and what's next," Joshua said of his defeat. "It's an upset, it's unexpected. I was the favourite.
"One shot hit me on the top of the dome and rattled me a bit. I tried to stay in there a few more rounds but the better man won.
"I don't underestimate anyone. He's a decent puncher, a decent fighter. He was the better man.
"I'll tidy up, brush off the cobwebs and go again. But it's a minor setback.
"Trust me, where I was at in life, I've dealt with more s*** than this, with some real big losses, and bounced back.
"If I was to look at my setbacks back then then I would have been f*****. I didn't. I kept my head strong, fought like a champion, and bounced back.
"I didn't even ask about a rematch clause because I was so confident I was going to win. If it's there, we'll go again and I'll get the titles back. I'm going to beat him up.
"I'm not dwelling on it. You just correct it, you adjust, you sit down, you focus and you go again."
Additional reporting by the Press Association.
