"Emotionally and mentally broken" - Eddie Hearn reacts to Anthony Joshua's outburst after losing to Oleksandr Usyk
Eddie Hearn spoke about Anthony Joshua's outburst in the ring following his loss to Oleksandr Usyk. The Brit fought Usyk at the Jeddah Superdome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on August 20 with the Unified Heavyweight Titles on the line. 'AJ' had been preparing to fight the Ukrainian for almost a year and ended up losing to him for the second time in a row.
After Usyk was announced as the winner, 'AJ' had an outburst on stage where he threw 'The Cat's belts out of the ring and made a bizarre speech. In a recent interview with iFL TV, his spokesperson Eddie Hearn spoke about what was going on in his head:
"He left the ring because I think he felt like he was bubbling up with emotion and wanted to get out. And then he realized to himself, 'I actually have a responsibility to try and be gracious, come back in the ring'... I don't think he said anything bad, he just spoke from the heart with emotion and frustration. If he had his time again, I don't think he would have done it."
He added:
"You get to see a guy that has dedicated the last 12 months to winning that fight and was emotionally and mentally broken and devastated that he lost in front of the world."
Following his outburst, many former professional and active boxers came to his defense, saying he should not be criticized since no one knows the kind of emotions a boxer feels after a hard fought loss.
Anthony Joshua's passionate speech following a second defeat to Oleksandr Usyk last night 🎥😯 https://t.co/3UGX7u14zs
Watch the interview below:
Deontay Wilder believes Anthony Joshua has a serious stamina problem
Deontay Wilder has spotted a major flaw in Anthony Joshua's game which he believes cost him the fight against Oleksandr Usyk. 'AJ' looked strong in the first half of the fight against the Ukrainian, but as the rounds went on, 'The Cat' took over and secured a split decision win to retain his Unified Heavyweight World Titles.
In a recent interview with EsNews, Wilder spoke about what Joshua's biggest problem is, which contributed to his loss:
“[Anthony Joshua] has a serious stamina problem and we know he would be very cautious of what happened before and, as you see, it was very cautious of him throwing punches and different things like that."
Wilder believes Joshua's stamina keeps letting him down. What 'The Bronze Bomber' pointed out could be a reason why Anthony Joshua lost, because in the championship rounds Usyk seemed to take over and the Brit had no answer.
The preternatural defense of Oleksandr Usyk in his definitive second win over Anthony Joshua https://t.co/W87ZUC4OB1
Watch the entire interview with EsNews below: