Anthony Joshua had a surreal and heated conversation with Oleksandr Usyk’s friend, Vasyl Lomachenko, after tasting defeat for the third time in his career on Saturday night. Usyk claimed a split-decision victory over the Brit, whose prospects of landing blockbuster fights in the future were dented by another frustrating result.
Joshua was convincingly beaten the first time he and Usyk met, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium just under a year ago. A change of trainer and 11 months of hard work couldn’t change the outcome as the pair did battle for a second time in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday.
AJ appeared more determined and sharp but, over the course of the 12 rounds, he could have no complaints about the judges’ scorecards. Usyk was rocked in the ninth round but successfully weathered the storm to take his unbeaten professional streak to 20 bouts.
After the fight, which took Joshua’s record to 24-3, he reacted angrily and stormed out of the ring before coming back and delivering a passionate, x-rated speech.
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Amid the chaos he was caught on camera having a heated discussion with Usyk’s compatriot, Lomachenko, who is considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet. “That’s when you respect me as a man, but now I’m like anyone else in this arena,” vented Joshua. “Good boxing has to win.”
Lomachenko attempted to console the Brit by responding: “No, you showed your heart!” But AJ was in no mood to reflect positively on his night’s work and repeatedly shouted: “F*** that s***. F*** that s***!”
While being restrained by people in his corner, Joshua was heard shouting: “Don’t f*** with me, you know! Don’t f*** with me.” He was later tearful in his post-fight press conference when asked if he was proud of himself as the reality of a third defeat in five fights set in.
Over the past few years, millions of British boxing fans have called out for AJ to face off with compatriot Tyson Fury in what would be a timeless heavyweight contest. But those chances appear to be slipping away with Usyk in the prime position to demand such a fight, which would hypothetically bring Fury out of retirement.
“I want to thank everyone who prayed for me,” Usyk told Sky Sports. “I want to thank god for the help he gave me today. He’s given me a lot today. My lord is Jesus Christ. Thank you so much. I’m convinced Tyson Fury is not retired. I want to fight Tyson Fury, if I’m not fighting Tyson Fury then I’m not fighting at all.”
The Gypsy King subsequently responded, calling the bout one of the worst he has ever seen and claiming that he could ‘annihilate both of them on the same night’.
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