Anthony Joshua has assured fans he is keeping well after losing his world heavyweight titles to Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night.
The Watford native was beaten comprehensively by Usyk in front of 63,000+ fans at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium last weekend, and has remained quiet since the post-fight press conference.
News that he will be exercising his immediate rematch clause emerged through promoters Alex Krassyuk and Eddie Hearn, but he has kept up his silence since the fight, prior to a social media message today.
He posted a photo from before his ring walk on Saturday night, with a caption accompanying that read: "I’ve watched the fight, analysed my preparations & identified my mistakes.
"I’ve learnt my lesson. Thanks for sending love & checking in. Don’t worry about me. My spirit is strong!"
Joshua was seen in footage immediately asking Usyk about a rematch after the fight, and it appears that the new champion's first defence will indeed be against the Brit.
It was a particularly tough night at the office for Joshua on Saturday night as he lost his belts for the second time in his career to former undisputed cruiserweight champion Usyk.
He had put together a very strict camp to prepare for the awkward style of Usyk, a southpaw with incredible amateur pedigree that included winning gold at the same London 2012 Olympics that Joshua picked up his.
But ultimately, the plan to attempt to box with Usyk, as opposed to imposing his natural size advantage and reach, proved costly for Joshua.
He will get one last chance at the titles, and is no stranger to avenging defeats.
Joshua first lost his titles to Andy Ruiz in June of 2019; being stopped in one of heavyweight boxing's great upsets by the plucky underdog at Madison Square Garden in New York.
But within the year Joshua was champion again, preparing a perfect game plan to nullify Ruiz and take back the titles in Saudi Arabia.
Can Anthony Joshua make the necessary adjustments to win back his world titles against Oleksandr Usyk next year? Give us your thoughts in the comments section!
However, he will need to make many more drastic changes for the Usyk rematch, which is expected to take place in the UK in the early part of 2022.
“I’m not a sulker,” Joshua said at the post-fight press conference. “This is a blessed opportunity to be able to fight for the heavyweight championship of the world.
“I’m not going to go home tonight and be crying about it because this is war. It’s a long process. This isn’t just one fight and I’m done. I can’t go back and sulk, that’s a waste of time.
“I’m going back to look at ways I can improve, straight away. I’ve already looked at the fight. When I walked back through the tunnel, I said to myself ‘I’m ready to get back into the gym’.
“It was a great experience and we’ve progressed once again, you’ve got to trust the process, good or bad. I can’t look at it and have any regrets.
“I believe I will get a good win in the next fight because of what I did in this fight. It was a great lesson. I’m a quick learner and I’ll bounce back.”
