Joshua threw both his belts to the floor after his defeat to Oleksandr Usyk
Frank Warren has called out Eddie Hearn for his “bull***t” theory about why Anthony Joshua slammed his title belts to the floor after losing to Oleksandr Usyk, once again, in their world title heavyweight rematch last weekend.
The 32-year-old was furious after the split decision had been announced and had to be held back after almost getting into an altercation with a member of Usyk’s team, and threw both of his title belts before leaving the ring.
Moments later, Joshua returned to the ring to give a bizarre speech and Matchroom Boxing boss Hearn believes he knows why the Watford-born boxer did it.
“He’s held on to those belts for a long time, and those governing bodies have charged him a lot of money and put a lot of mandatories on him,” he told iFL TV.
“I think he’s lost a lot of faith in the system and I think he started to not be interested in fighting for belts anymore. I think he just wants to fight for enjoyment and to challenge himself.”
Anthony Joshua lost his temper after losing his rematch to Oleksandr Usyk and reacted angrily by throwing two belts out of the ring. 🚨pic.twitter.com/VjS8z3UrGl
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 20, 2022
But Warren – a rival promoter of Hearn – has played down the theory and thinks that AJ probably feels embarrassed about his post-fight actions.
“Of course they were interested in the belts, I mean what bulls*** is that? That’s what it is, it’s bulls***,” Warren said.
“He was emotional. I think Joshua was maybe a bit embarrassed about what happened in the ring, at the end of the day he’s lost his fight. He fought better and showed more heart in the second fight than he did in the first. You can only do your best, be proud that you did your best. He was in there with a guy who’s got better skills and is the better fighter.”
Joshua cleared the air during the post-fight conference, stating that his interview was “from the heart” and that he was “mad at himself” for losing to the Ukrainian.
Related links:
- Eddie Hearn hits out at Tyson Fury for ‘talking sh*t’ following Anthony Joshua fight
- Boxing fans blast ‘ludicrous scorecard’ after Joshua declared victor on one card
- Anthony Joshua explains why he stormed out of the ring in emotional post-fight press conference
