- Usyk wins by 115-113 and 116-112; one judge has Briton up 115-113
- Joshua displays guts but emotion shows in bizarre speech
For Anthony Joshua it was ultimately all too much. Having been defeated by the outstanding Oleksandr Usyk for a second time and consequently failing in his bid to regain his status as a heavyweight champion, he threw two of the victors’ three belts out of the ring before storming out of it himself on what was a hot night in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia’s city by the Red Sea, in more ways than one. Joshua soon returned but, quite clearly, the 32-year-old’s emotions were still getting the better of him. Having appeared to exchange angry words with Usyk he then took to the microphone and, in front of a crowd of about 10,000 gathered at this venue, delivered a curious monologue.
“If you knew my story you would understand the passion,” he declared. “I ain’t no amateur boxer from five years old that was an elite prospect from youth. I was going to jail, I got bail and I started training my arse off, I wanted to be able to fight.”