Anthony Joshua has admitted “I let myself down” after the British heavyweight’s antics following his crushing defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in their world-title showdown in Saudi Arabia were heavily criticised.

Joshua hurled two of Usyk’s belts to the floor and stormed out of the ring in a fit of pique in Jeddah, then returned moments later to deliver a rambling speech peppered with expletives.

The 32-year-old’s career appears at a crossroads after Sunday’s second successive defeat to the unbeaten Ukrainian and he came under fire for his emotional post-fight reaction.

Writing on Twitter, Joshua hailed Usyk as “a class act”, adding: “Yesterday I had to mentally take myself into a dark place to compete for the championship belts! 

“I had two fights, one with Usyk and one with my emotions, and both got the better of me.

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