Anthony Joshua ‘left out to dry by his team’ during post-fight outburst, says Frazer Clarke

Joshua gave a bizarre speech to the crowd following his split decision defeat in Saudi Arabia

Anthony Joshua was “left out to dry by his team”, who should have stopped him during his post-fight outburst following defeat to Oleksandr Usyk, says Frazer Clarke.

After an enthralling heavyweight world title fight rematch that Usyk won by split decision, an emotional Joshua firstly stormed out of the ring before returning, chucking away a couple of the belts and then taking the microphone to give an odd speech to the crowd.

The bizarre scenes slightly overshadowed Usyk’s moment, although the Brit was speaking from the heart and was largely complimentary of the Ukrainian.

“I am giving you my story,” he said. “I was going to jail. I got bailed and started training my arse off, because if I got sentenced then I would not have been able to fight.

“I could have done better, but it showed the hard work he must have put in to beat me. This guy is a phenomenal talent, how many belts you got bro, five? We are going to cheer for him. Hip-hip, hooray!

“I studied all your champions, what’s happening there, I don’t know, but I know it’s not nice. There were issues in Ukraine. Klitschko vs Williams. Usyk, under those circumstances, he became champ.

“I’m not a 12-round fighter. I am a new breed of heavyweight, Mike Tyson, Sonny Liston - they say ‘he doesn’t throw combinations like Rocky Marciano,’ because I’m not 14 stone. I am 18 stone, I am heavy.”

Anthony Joshua was clearly emotional following his defeat (Getty Images)

Joshua’s friend, training partner and fellow professional Clarke was working as a pundit for Sky Sports Box Office and condemned the challenger’s team for not stepping in and preventing the post-fight scenes.

Clarke said: “I feel like he was left out to dry by his team. Somebody should’ve saved him from himself. In the true sense of boxing, that was Usyk’s time to celebrate, I don’t think it was right.

“Anthony has done a lot of good, but he had a bad one there. There are no excuses, that was Usyk’s time. Somebody should’ve stopped him, saved him from himself.

“Nobody feels it as much as Anthony. He’s not a normal boxer. The pressure I feel vs Joshua, it’s chalk and cheese. Maybe it boiled over there, maybe it was heated. Let’s not judge him on that, the Joshua I know is a nice respectful human being. He boiled over there.

“Maybe he’s concussed. After a fight, your head is all over the place. Maybe not what he said, the time. If I was there, I would’ve took a dig to take the microphone off him. Give him a minute to compose himself.”