Frank Warren and Deontay Wilder hit the nail on the head when talking about the damage control Anthony Joshua put in place regarding his Saudi Arabia meltdown.
Like many in the sport, Warren and Wilder are not buying the fact that Joshua cared so much that his emotions got the better of him.
Similarly, with the fact just hours earlier, Joshua branded the heavyweight title belts worthless for his fight with Oleksandr Usyk.
Anthony Joshua assassinated his personality
It’s clear from the Briton’s reaction that he could not deal with not having the titles. That rang true with throwing the straps over the ropes, as any body language expert would tell you.
Joshua didn’t win the championships, which he thinks are his by right. Therefore, he didn’t want anybody else to have them either.
It was losing it of the highest order as Joshua walked out like a spoiled child before being urged to return. He should have stopped there. He didn’t.
The former champion launched a personality assassination on himself, never seen before in boxing. Many AJ fans have now turned on him for his God-like complex.
Too many people around Joshua were telling him he was better than Usyk. At the same time, the vast majority of the media and paying public didn’t.
The result was Joshua blowing a gasket at not being able to handle the truth.
Frank Warren
Warren spoke to the UK media and was completely spot on in what he said.
“Of course, they were interested in the belts. I mean, what bull***t is that? That’s what it is. It’s bull***t,” said Warren.
“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.”
Usyk won eleven of twelve rounds on the WBN scorecard with the superior boxing we all know has in the locker.
Joshua did better, especially with the body shots, but Usyk picked him off with two head shots by the time the sluggish Olympian got off his power punch to the body.
It was an exhibition on total boxing from Usyk. The only round Joshua won clearly was the ninth.
Deontay Wilder
Rival Deontay Wilder added his view; yet again, he was one hundred percent correct in his opinion.
“The meltdown comes when you create such a fighter. You give them everything and try to avoid tough fights,” Wilder told ES News.
“Then, when it boils down to the wire, you don’t know who to trust. You’ve been listening to all this fake stuff,” he added.
Joshua’s reputation has never been that good anywhere outside the UK and possibly the Middle East. However, many Sky Sports viewers, who he counted on for Box Office buys, will no longer buy into his persona.
His next fight must be on regular DAZN to give something back to those who have forked out regularly to watch Joshua be unable to walk his “Road to Undisputed.”
Having that mantra alone when embarking on a sports brand deal is evidence enough that Joshua wanted those belts badly.
Where he goes from here is anyone’s guess.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay.
WBN Editor Phil has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
