Anthony Joshua tried to hold back the tears as he addressed the media following his latest defeat to Oleksandr Usyk.
Joshua lost to the Ukrainian for the second time in 11 months at the King Abdullah Sports City Arena in Jeddah.
The 32-year-old delivered a much-improved performance but was still outpointed by Usyk.
Two judges scored the fight 115-113 and 116-112 to Usyk, while a third judge gave it 115-113 to the challenger.
Joshua struggled to find the words to express how he was feeling during his interaction with the media.
Read Also: ‘I Devote This To My Country’ –Usyk Reflects On Victory Over Joshua
‘I tried a different style,” he said.
“Previously in my career what got me through when I was beating people I have been beating… I was beating them off sheer hungry and passion. In the last fight I wanted to compete as a boxer but it wasn’t good enough and tonight wasn’t good enough.”
Joshua was then asked if he was proud of himself, to which he replied: “It’s hard to say I’m proud of myself, I don’t feel anything, I’m upset, deep down in my heart.” At that point Joshua pulled his cap over his eyes and was unable to speak as promoter Eddie Hearn took over proceedings.
When he had regained his composure, Joshua added: “When you lose, you’re ultimately not happy, it’s just upsetting. I wanted to win and I wanted to win for Great Britain because I knew how much they wanted me to fight Tyson Fury. I’m not so happy with the performance because I didn’t win.
“I appreciate everyone watching at home, I’m a fighter, I’m not a normal person. Even though I try and hold it together, to be a fighter is to have a real different mindset and lifestyle.”
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COMMENTS
Bad day for 2 Nigerian champions………..Kamaru Usman just lost his belt too
It’s really bad to know that 2 Nigerian born champions can lose their belts the same day. For Joshua, I hope this won’t be the end to his career, while for Usman, he still has another chance. I wish them both luck in their next line of actions.
AJ was trying to get the belt back that he had lost to Usyk….He lost the fight but no belt to lose.
The Fight was quite a night time robbery.Joshua’s camp should review the fight and lodge an appeal.
The judges were merely sympathetic to the Ukrainian cause and not the fight itself.
JOSHUA come on MAN UP you are NIGERIAN! Don’t go SOFT like that…
Don’t give up. If you TRY and you FAIL, TRY and FAIL, then TRY again…