Anthony Joshua ‘felt anxiety and shame’ after strange Oleksandr Usyk rant
Anthony Joshua “felt ashamed and anxious” after his emotions took over in a bizarre post-fight rant.
The British heavyweight boxer suffered the third defeat of his professional career on Saturday night after he was beaten via split decision by Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia. Following the bout, Joshua stunned fans as he launched into an emotional rant inside the ring, which fans have since compared to Delia Smith’s infamous Norwich City speech.
A body language expert has now given their thoughts on Joshua’s antics after the fight and believes he was feeling “ashamed and anxious” after he had finished his rant.
READ MORE: Anthony Joshua hits out at Mike Tyson telling legend he’s ‘not f***ing 14 stone’
Darren Stanton explained to MyBettingSites: “I have studied Joshua at great length in his personality and he’s a very humble, emotional guy who tends to wear his heart on his sleeve. However, in his post-match press conference I saw a combination of frustration, agitation, anxiety and shame.
“A journalist asked the question, ‘are you proud of yourself?’ It was clear that he wasn’t. He was very frustrated when his emotions got the better of him. He covered his face with his hands and I believe this emotion to be true and genuine because the tone of his voice also changed.
“We have not seen Joshua act like this before, so he either has a number of personal issues going on in his life or something has caused him to have a massive shift in his emotion.
Who should Anthony Joshua fight next? Let us know in the comment section below.
(Image: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
“I look at psychological factors that may affect someone’s behaviour, and in Joshua‘s case, something clearly caused him to lose focus, concentration and above all the fight.”
Usyk was left awkwardly looking on from inside the ring after Joshua launched into his speech, with Stanton believing that the Ukrainian was equally as confused by his opponent as boxing fans were around the world.
“Anthony Joshua was trying to be humble and show respect to Oleksandr Usyk after his defeat,” added Stanton. “However, from a non-verbal point of view, Usyk seemed a little bit confused and did not respond, acknowledge or smile to Joshua’s comments. I have never seen a boxer engage in this sort of behaviour, it was unprecedented in boxing.”
READ NEXT:
