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Posted on 10/27/2021
By: Hans Themistode
Anthony Joshua has been both gracious in victory and humble in defeat.
Following the first loss of his career to Andy Ruiz Jr. in June of 2019, Joshua placed his arms around his Mexican rival and allowed him to receive his well-earned spotlight. Joshua would continue to heap praise onto the shoulders of Ruiz Jr. but inside, he was angry. Six months later, Joshua scored a one-sided victory against Ruiz Jr. to reclaim his world titles.
In what appeared to be deja vu, Joshua once again took his defeat well. The former Olympic gold medalist was thoroughly outboxed by Oleksandr Usyk on September 25th, earlier this year at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the United Kingdom.
Much like his first defeat, Joshua gave full credit to Usyk for pulling off the win. But while Joshua has seemingly taken his losses well, he’s reached his breaking point.
“F*ck being humble,” said Joshua during an interview with IFL TV. “I’m done with f*cking losing.”
In an effort to bring about more consistent winning at the top level, Joshua appears to be seeking help from some of the top trainers stateside. Amongst the more notable names, Joshua has visited the gym of Eddy Reynoso and has been seen joking and laughing with pound-for-pound star Canelo Alvarez. Joshua has also visited the gym of Ronnie Shields, where he was seen receiving tips from WBC middleweight belt holder, Jermall Charlo.
Joshua’s need to break free from trainer Rob McCracken, appears to be stemming from what many found to be a puzzling game plan the night Joshua squared off against Usyk. Known for his ability to box and move, Usyk employed that very tactic to outbox Joshua and dominate down the stretch.
Despite being considerably bigger than the former undisputed cruiserweight champion, Joshua never used his physical attributes to bully his man. Instead, the British native seemed content with boxing on the outside, a game plan that was widely criticized.
Throughout most of Joshua’s career, the former unified heavyweight champion has expressed the value of learning the ins and outs of the sport. He’s also preached the importance of showing respect and sportsmanship. However, with another defeat now plastered to his resume, Joshua is just about through with his whole nice guy routine.
“I’m done with trying to learn the sweet science. He might get thrown on the floor in the next fight because this is war. It’s just straight war.”