“Anthony Joshua Reflects on Emotional Reaction to Usyk Defeat”
Anthony Joshua has opened up about his emotional reaction to his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, admitting that a comment from Usyk inadvertently triggered him in the immediate aftermath of their fight. Following his defeat, Joshua publicly apologized to Usyk for his reaction, which included throwing the champion’s belts out of the ring and going on…
Anthony Joshua has opened up about his emotional reaction to his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, admitting that a comment from Usyk inadvertently triggered him in the immediate aftermath of their fight.
Following his defeat, Joshua publicly apologized to Usyk for his reaction, which included throwing the champion’s belts out of the ring and going on a rant. Reflecting on his actions months later, Joshua acknowledged that they were not the right thing to do.
Speaking to the BBC, Joshua said, “Listen, I’m not perfect, and it’s not the right thing to have done. I didn’t speak to Usyk, but I spoke to Wladimir Klitschko and asked him to give Usyk a pat on the shoulder and tell him well done, and I apologize. That’s man-to-man.”
JOSHUA CONFRONTS USYK AFTER DEFEAT 😳😳 pic.twitter.com/vFTYbgCoPb
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) August 20, 2022
He continued, “But it was just raw, and it may not make sense to a lot of people, but it made a lot of sense to me. It was just how much it means, to a degree. I thought I would feel like that at the end of my career – when it’s all said and done, I’d just be like, ‘Wow, what a rollercoaster, I made it through the trenches.’ But I feel getting so close to fighting for the undisputed title and getting that fight with Tyson Fury that people want so much, it was like, ‘Yeah, I’m nearly there.’ Then, bosh, I didn’t hear my name.”
Joshua also revealed that certain comments made in the ring added to his emotions. He explained, “There were certain things in the ring that were said, not excuses, but one was, ‘You’re big and strong.’ Remember, a lot of athletes from the African/Caribbean community are told that they’re ‘strong,’ and I feel like it’s quite degrading because we don’t get mentioned about our talent and technique. I’m aware of that because I am a black fighter, so when he said I’m big and strong, it was just like alarm bells going off. There’s loads of things that were triggering me at the time, and it was just pure, raw, uncut emotion.”
Despite the setback, Joshua is looking ahead to his next challenge. He is set to take on Francis Ngannou on Friday night in Riyadh, demonstrating his determination to bounce back from defeat and continue his career at the highest level.
