‘I was mentally in a dark place’ – Anthony Joshua claims he ‘let himself down’ after Oleksandr Usyk defeat and ring rant

ANTHONY JOSHUA has admitted he let himself down with his rant after losing to Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night.

The Brit, 32, was defeated by split decision in Saudi Arabia as the Ukrainian champion emerged victorious for the second time in 11 months.

After the bout, an angry Joshua threw Usyk's belts out of the ring and stormed away but then returned and took the microphone before launching into a two-minute speech.

Now he has reflected on the entire night as a whole, admitting he made some mistakes.

Speaking on , he said: "I wish @usykaa continued success in your quest for greatness. You are a class act champ.

"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.

He then went on to add: "I’ll be the first to admit, I let myself 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."

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Joshua's loss to Usyk was his third in the professional ranks as he failed to inflict a first defeat on the former undisputed cruiserweight champion.

It was AJ's 12th successive world title fight - a run which stretches back to when he claimed the IBF strap against Charles Martin in 2016.

Now he is preparing to continue his career as a challenger seeking another shot at the belts.

Joshua and promoter Eddie Hearn claimed in the post-fight press conference that the plan is for AJ to return before the end of the year.

He has fought just twice since December 2020 - both of which have come against Usyk.

Meanwhile, Usyk has his eyes set firmly on an undisputed clash with WBC champion Fury.

The 35-year-old insisted in his post-fight interview that he will not return to the ring unless it is against The Gypsy King.

And Fury, who has previously claimed he is retired, responded with a video in which he said: "I've just seen Joshua lose for the second time to Usyk - out of his depth.

"However, England has been relieved of its belts. Yet again, as usual.

"There is a remedy and a solution that I can suggest. If you want those belts back then send in the Gypsy barbarian of England. Come on!

"Send me in. I will relieve the Ukrainian dosser of his belts like I did the last Ukrainian dosser

"But its not gonna be cheap. If you want the best you've got to pay, it's gonna be very expensive.

"So get your f***ing cheque book out and I will relieve that Ukrainian dosser."