‘Who the f**k are you talking to?’
Anthony Joshua’s security guards had to hold him back after a post-fight comment from a mystery bystander backstage sent the fighter into a sudden rage.
Over night, Joshua, 32, faced undefeated Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk, 35, in Saudi Arabia, with the latter managing to maintain his WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titles in a split-decision win, despite Joshua tenaciously giving him a run for his money.
Shortly after the fight, amateur camera footage captured the moment where Joshua was walking back to his dressing room and a comment from someone in the crowd hit him the wrong way, quickly turning his mood from seemingly jovial to sour in an instant.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/qBfP2OM1fjo
As you can see in the clip above, things start off relatively tame, with Joshua walking through the backstage area whilst flanked by his entourage and fans – each congratulating him for delivering a “good game.”
However soon afterwards, someone can be heard telling Joshua to “keep it professional” – a comment that suddenly sent the fighter over the edge.
With his mood shifting, Joshua turns to the unseen bystander and shouts: “Who are you talking to? Who the f**k are you talking to? Are you mad?”
His security team quickly diffuse the situation and keep the star moving towards his dressing room.
Further footage contained within the same clip suggests that the comment could have been misconstrued, with the man who delivered it seemingly baffled as to why it encouraged such an intense response.
“I think he misinterpreted,” says one man, reassuring the guy who originally delivered the comment.
As yet, it’s unclear whether this moment was filmed before or after Joshua delivered an impassioned post-show speech which some have suggested was a little out of character.
“I was going to jail, I got bail and I started training my a**e off, I wanted to be able to fight,” explained Joshua during his speech. “I ain’t no amateur boxer from five years old that was an elite prospect from my youth,” he added, seemingly in reference to Usyk.
“I’m stealing this Usyk, sorry, but it’s because the f*****g passion we put into this s**t.”
