Eddie Hearn has defended Anthony Joshua after his emotional reaction to losing against Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night.
Joshua was taking on Usyk in the Jeddah Superdome, Saudi Arabia. It was the second time the pair have fought each other. In 2021, Usyk defeated his opponent at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, winning the unified heavyweight title belts by unanimous decision.
This time around, the Ukrainian heavyweight won by split decision – although many fans argue he should have won on all three judges’ scorecards.
Joshua produced a far more impressive performance than in the first fight between the two, keeping pressure on the champion all the way through the bout. But it was Usyk who finished the stronger, handling everything that Joshua threw at him, and landing some critical punches of his own.
What happened after the fight?
Following the announcement of the fight result, an irate Joshua threw two belts out of the ring. He then walked out, before being convinced to return by his team.
The Brit then confronted Usyk, before grabbing the mic and delivering an emotional speech.
He said: “Usyk is one hell of a f***ing fighter. Let’s give him a round of applause. Sorry, guys. Look, if you knew my story, you’d understand the passion.
“I ain’t no f***ing amateur boxer from five years old. I wasn’t an elite prospect from youth, bro, I was going to jail.”
He continued: “I seen some youths in Reading jail. I got bail, and I started training my a*** off. Because, if I got sentenced, I wouldn’t be able to fight. I bust my case, my cousin, where’s he at? G14.
“I’m stealing this Usyk. I’m sorry, but it’s because of the f***ing passion we’ve put into this s***, man.”
Joshua also commented: “I’m not a 12-round fighter? Look at me. I’m a new breed of heavyweight. All them heavyweights – Mike Tyson, Sonny Liston, Jack Dempsey – they say, ‘He doesn’t throw combinations like Rocky Marciano’. Because I’m not f***ing 14-stone, that’s why. I’m 18-stone. I’m heavy.”
Despite the emotional nature of Joshua’s speech, the Watford-born fighter was criticised for delivering his verdict before the champion, who won via split decision, and the angry nature of the speech.
Speaking on Sky Sports (via the Daily Mirror), Carl Froch called Joshua “disrespectful” for throwing the belts, and claimed that he “stole Usyk’s moment”.
Eddie Hearn defends Anthony Joshua after in-ring outburst
Anthony Joshua was staunchly defended by his promoter, Eddie Hearn, after the fight.
Hearn explained why he felt Joshua reacted in such a way, and also addressed how he believed the fight should have been awarded.
He told Sky Sports: “You saw the reaction from AJ. And that was from a human who wanted to win so badly, with so much pressure on his shoulders.
“I think he just exploded, because he lost and he was devastated, and he’s given everything to try and win this fight. He couldn’t win the fight. He’s a competitor, he’s a winner. But this man [Usyk] is too good.
“What a performance from Oleksandr Usyk. In the ninth round, I ran over, I thought we had him. The 10th round was one of the best rounds I’ve seen to turn the fight, not back around because it was very close at that point, but what Usyk did in the 10th, 11th and 12th was incredible, and that was the difference tonight.
“AJ didn’t start fast enough. But he fought a much better fight. He hurt Usyk badly in the ninth, and I thought he was going to come on strong. But Usyk came out like a train, and, as I said, the 10th round was the moment he decided to regain the fight.
“It was an incredible performance. He’s just too good, and there’s no shame in it. The 10th round, the 11th round, that’s why he’s the pound-for-pound number one.”
Featured Image Credit: Getty
