Oleksandr Usyk has claimed he opted against a knockout against Anthony Joshua to prevent the Briton from getting hurt.
The Ukrainian pulled off an incredible display of boxing intelligence and ring-craft, when he dismantled Joshua in London on Saturday night.
And he could have finished the job in the final round, with Joshua struggling on the ropes under heavy fire from the aggressive artillery.
But Usyk has now claimed that he refused to stop Joshua in an attempt to protect the 31-year-old with his family watching on.
"Why are you so bloodthirsty? There is victory, everything is fine," Usyk said. "Why is it necessary for a person to fall? He has relatives, friends, a mother and a father.
"This is a big chunk of health if a person falls. I'm not for that. I had no objective to knock him out because my trainer, in my corner, pushed me not to do that.
"In the beginning, I hit him hard and tried to knock him out. But then my trainer said: 'Just stop, and do your job.'"
Usyk was doubted by many going into the fight, with many predicting Joshua would be too big and powerful for the rugged champion.
But Usyk was punch-perfect in his third heavyweight contest, and will now look forward to a rematch with 'AJ' next year.
This has now been confirmed by Usyk's promoter Alex Krassyuk, who claimed that Joshua immediately activated the clause for a repeat.
And Joshua still holds hope that he can reverse the momentum of the first fight, in pursuit of becoming a three-time heavyweight champion.
Who wins the rematch- Joshua or Usyk? Let us know in the comments section below.
“I’m not a sulker,” he said defiantly. “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.”
Joshua could face an uphill battle, with the post-fight punch stats showing the level of contro l Usyk held during the fight.
And he has been criticised by former opponent Dillian Whyte for his "f****** weird" tactical approach to the encounter.
The former champion's hopes of a domestic dust-up with Tyson Fury also seem to have faded, with the 'Gypsy King' making a "still the best" taunt after the fight.
And his promoter Frank Warren has shut down fan's clamours for an all-British clash declaring he "can't see it happening" after AJ's defeat.
