Tyson Fury's co-promoter Bob Arum has revealed talks over a heavyweight unification fight with Oleksandr Usyk will begin next week.

Usyk claimed the WBA Super, IBF, WBO, IBO and The Ring heavyweight belts by beating Anthony Joshua in London last year, before retaining them in August's rematch in Saudi Arabia.

The Ukrainian's second win over Joshua led to speculation he would face WBC heavyweight champion Fury in a unification bout, but he quickly ruled making out a return to the ring in 2022.

Fury will face Derek Chisora for a third time in December, but all the signs point to him meeting Usyk next year.

Arum – who promotes Fury alongside Frank Warren – told Sky Sports he would meet with Usyk and his manager Egis Klimas to discuss the bout in the coming days.

"I'll be having dinner with them without any question, probably on the Thursday night [October 27]," Arum said.

"I'll have a very long discussion with them about what their plans are and when it could be in their best interests to get the fight on.

"I know from previous conversations with both of them that they want that fight against Tyson Fury."

Fury has won 32 of his 33 professional fights, with a draw against Deontay Wilder in 2018 the only blot on his record, but Arum feels Usyk would provide the Gypsy King with a serious test.

"If there's anybody around who really has a good, good chance with Tyson Fury, it's Oleksandr Usyk," Arum added.

Meanwhile, Arum also believes Fury's meeting with Chisora will serve as perfect preparation for facing Usyk, who was taken the distance by the 38-year-old in October 2020.

"Chisora wasn't selected by Frank Warren and myself for Tyson just out of the blue," Arum said. 

"Yes, Chisora lost twice early on to Tyson, but remember his fight with Usyk where he gave Usyk life and death. A lot thought that he might have eked out a victory.

"If you're getting ready to fight Usyk, fight a guy who went in with him and carried him into deep waters.

"Chisora is not just a walkover. Chisora has demonstrated tremendous punching power and if you lose concentration and he hits you in the right place on the chin, it's dangerous."

Tyson Fury has backtracked on his decision to rule out a December bout with Anthony Joshua after giving his rival until the end of Thursday to agree terms.

WBC champion Fury opened the door for a 'Battle of Britain' with Joshua last month after it became clear a unification bout against Oleksandr Usyk would not occur this year.

After weeks of talks between the fighters' camps, however, Fury said on Monday any chance of the pair meeting was "officially over" after his self-imposed deadline was not met.

But Fury set Joshua, who has lost three of his past five fights, a new deadline in his latest video message on social media that was directed at the two-time world champion.

"My promoter Frank Warren convinced me to let Queensberry [Warren's company] carry on negotiating with your team this week, despite me knowing you were never going to do this fight," Fury said.

"So the deadline was Monday. I allowed Frank to continue doing meetings with your team and your broadcasters and all that."

Fury said the broadcasters were "all on the same page".

"They are happy with everything, they are all ready to rock and roll," he added.

"You guys ask for a lot of stuff. You want to be co-promoters when you're a voluntary challenger. Guess what, I said give it them, let them be co-promoters.

"You wanted full transparency, even though you're not an equal shareholder in this party. You know what I said? Give them full transparency, I've got nothing to hide.

"I'm not trying to rob anybody, I've not robbed anybody of a penny in my life. Now you've got full transparency, everything is clean and fair. Joshua, the ball is really in your court."

Fury revealed earlier this month that he has offered Joshua a 60-40 purse split in a bid to get the heavyweight title fight made after years of build-up.

Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn said last week an initial contract offer sent by Fury's camp was not acceptable, but the parties were "working positively" to reach an agreement.

That led to Fury making his ultimatum to Joshua to sign the contract by Monday or forget about a fight, which had been set to be held in Cardiff's Principality Stadium.

"Everybody is done," Fury added in his Twitter post. "If you're a man, and if you've got any sort of dignity and pride about you, you'll get this contract signed today. This is it.

"There is no more days, weeks, months, you've had the contract now for over two weeks and you still haven't signed it.

"Show the public that you're really the big coward that I know you are, and don't sign it. I don't care either way if you sign it or you don't, it makes no difference to me at all.

"You're a beaten man and I'm a world champion. I'm chucking you a massive bone, but I know I can punch a face in so I'm willing to give you an opportunity.

"There's nothing more to do, everyone is happy. Get your team onto mine, they will be available all day, like they've been available the last two weeks. Get this contract signed!

"Let the British fans have what they want. There is no running, you have to fight me. You cannot escape. The Fury is coming."

Deontay Wilder claims he has unfinished business with Tyson Fury and hopes to face the WBC heavyweight champion for a fourth time in the future.

Wilder is the only fighter to avoid defeat against Fury in the 34-year-old's professional career, doing so in a draw in December 2018.

However, the 'Bronze Bomber' then suffered two defeats to Fury – the most recent an 11th-round stoppage in October 2021 – and he still hopes for a chance to avenge those losses.

"I think that there's definitely a chance of a fourth fight again," Wilder told Sky Sports. "Boxing is a business. Many people call it a sport, but it's not a sport.

"The heavyweight division is very small. I'm still a big fish in the business, especially here in America. 

"As long as we're all in the same division and all still currently fighting, why not? It only can lead to that. With all that being said, it's definitely a possibility."

Wilder, who has not fought since that second defeat to Fury, will meet Robert Helenius in an eliminator next month and may yet face further bouts in his bid to return to title contention.

However, Oleksandr Usyk, who won and then retained the WBO, WBA and IBF belts with two victories over Anthony Joshua, has floated the idea of offering Wilder a championship fight – a proposition the 36-year-old would welcome.

"I heard about the Usyk situation, and he's going to be there. I hold Usyk to be a man of his word," Wilder said.

"If Usyk's saying he wants to give me an opportunity for the titles then that's what I'm holding his word to. I always tell people that I don't look past fighters, but I do look through them, there's nothing wrong with that, being confident in yourself and looking ahead once this chapter is closed.

"I've got to handle business at the end of the day. Without handling business then nothing else is moving forward. I'm taking it one fight at a time. I'm taking it all in, one day at a time. 

"Once I've accomplished and finished what I have to do with Robert, then I'll move on, and I'll be looking forward to the next challenge, whether it's Usyk or whether it's anybody else."

Meanwhile, Fury appeared set to face Joshua in December after reversing his decision to retire, although he has since claimed the fight was off after weeks of back-and-forth discussions.

Despite Joshua losing three of his last five fights, Wilder believes he can rectify issues with his fighting style, adding: "I just think Joshua was very cautious in what he did as far as exchanging punches [against Usyk]. I always said it: as I see it, he has a big stamina problem.

"I think if he can correct that, I think you will see a different Joshua. You won't see one that's so hesitant to throw punches and do things.

"I think he was just a little fearful of running out of gas too quick and too fast, and he held back a little bit."

Tyson Fury says December's proposed bout with Anthony Joshua is "officially over" due to the contract not being signed by Monday's self-imposed deadline.

WBC champion Fury opened the door for a 'Battle of Britain' with Joshua after it became clear a unification bout against Oleksandr Usyk would not occur this year.

However, following drawn-out talks between the fighters' camps, Fury declared last week that Joshua had until 17:00 BST on Monday to put pen to paper on the terms.

That deadline came and went without any official confirmation, and Fury once again took to social media shortly after to declare the heavyweight fight will not be taking place.

"It's official. D-Day has come and gone," he said in a video message on his Instagram account. "It's gone past 5 o'clock Monday, no contract has been signed. It's officially over. 

"Joshua is now out in the cold with the wolfpack. Forget about it. Idiot, coward, s***house, bodybuilder. Always knew you didn't have the minerals to fight the Gypsy King. 

"Regardless of what you say now, I don't really care. Good luck with your career and your life, end of."

Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn said last week an initial contract offer sent by Fury's camp was not acceptable, but the parties were "working positively" to reach an agreement.

That led to Fury making his ultimatum to Joshua to sign the contract by Monday or forget about a fight that has been years in the making.

In response, two-time world champion Joshua – who has lost three of his past five fights – said he fully intended to sign the deal, but it was currently with his legal team.

Should Fury be true to his word, the 34-year-old could look to arrange a title defence against Mahmoud Charr in the same December slot ahead of facing Usyk next year.

Tyson Fury claimed Anthony Joshua does not want to fight him as he unleashed a barrage of abuse on his fellow Brit.

Negotiations are ongoing over a mouthwatering world heavyweight title bout between WBC champion Fury and Joshua on December 3.

Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter, stated this week that an initial contract offer sent by Fury's camp was not acceptable, but the parties are "working positively" to try and reach an agreement.

Fury on Friday made it clear he does not believe two-time world champion Joshua has any intention of stepping into the ring with him.

He stated in a video posted on social media: "He's had the contract for I don’t know how long and ain’t signing it. You little sausage, you do not want a fight.

"However, I will be fighting on December 3, if this sausage does not sign this contract, which I don't think he is because I don't think he’s got the b******s to."

The unbeaten Fury also took aim at WBA, IBF and WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk, who stated his intention to "outbox" the Englishman if they meet in a unification fight.

Fury added: "Usyk, you little s***house, I'm afraid of you? I'll put my fist right through the side of you, you little sausage.

"Joshua is a s***house, Usyk a s***house. You are all s***houses."

Oleksandr Usyk plans to have "three more fights at the very most" before retiring, including a heavyweight unification bout with Tyson Fury.

The 35-year-old holds the WBA Super, IBF, WBO, IBO and The Ring heavyweight belts after defeating Anthony Joshua for a second time in last month's rematch.

Usyk's split-decision victory over Joshua in Saudi Arabia was supposed to clear the way for a unification bout with Fury for all the belts in the sport’s blue-riband division.

However, with Usyk ruling out a return to the ring this year, Fury is now in advanced talks with Joshua over a 'Battle of Britain' showdown in December.

Usyk is hopeful of facing Fury down the line, with super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez also on his list of targets before ending his career on home soil in Kyiv.

"I can have three more fights at the very most," Usyk said in an interview posted on his YouTube page. 

"It is the most realistic to be in my top form. With Fury, Canelo and a farewell fight at Olympiyskiy.

"With Canelo he said that he wanted to fight me. It would be a freak fight just for the sake of earning money.

"I only need to beat Fury and then it is time to retire for me. The unification of all the belts is much more important than just a fight or another defence.

"I want to outbox Fury and I don't want to work that much just for another defence. There is much more that I can achieve."

Canelo is the undisputed super-middleweight champion after claiming victory in the final fight in his trilogy with Gennady Golovkin in Las Vegas last weekend.

The weight disparity between Usyk and Canelo makes any bout difficult to arrange, but the latter confirmed last month he is interested in facing the Ukrainian.

"It's difficult but I don't care," he said. "I like that type of challenge. I don't care. It's going to be difficult I know, but I love boxing. I love being in that type of situation."

Oleksandr Usyk plans to have "three more fights at the very most" before retiring, including a heavyweight unification bout with Tyson Fury.

The 35-year-old holds the WBA Super, IBF, WBO, IBO and The Ring heavyweight belts after defeating Anthony Joshua for a second time in last month's rematch.

Usyk's split-decision victory over Joshua in Saudi Arabia was supposed to clear the way for a unification bout with Fury for all the belts in the sport’s blue-riband division.

However, with Usyk ruling out a return to the ring this year, Fury is now in advanced talks with Joshua over a 'Battle of Britain' showdown in December.

Usyk is hopeful of facing Fury down the line, with super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez also on his list of targets before ending his career on home soil in Kyiv.

"I can have three more fights at the very most," Usyk said in an interview posted on his YouTube page. 

"It is the most realistic to be in my top form. With Fury, Canelo and a farewell fight at Olympiyskiy.

"With Canelo he said that he wanted to fight me. It would be a freak fight just for the sake of earning money.

"I only need to beat Fury and then it is time to retire for me. The unification of all the belts is much more important than just a fight or another defence.

"I want to outbox Fury and I don't want to work that much just for another defence. There is much more that I can achieve."

Canelo is the undisputed super-middleweight champion after claiming victory in the final fight in his trilogy with Gennady Golovkin in Las Vegas last weekend.

The weight disparity between Usyk and Canelo makes any bout difficult to arrange, but the latter confirmed last month he is interested in facing the Ukrainian.

"It's difficult but I don't care," he said. "I like that type of challenge. I don't care. It's going to be difficult I know, but I love boxing. I love being in that type of situation."

Canelo Alvarez confirmed he has his sights set on a rematch with Dmitry Bivol after convincingly handling the third fight of his trilogy against Gennadiy Golovkin on Saturday.

Alvarez took a unanimous decision on the scorecards, although two judges had things much closer than it looked to the naked eye, scoring it seven rounds to five for the Mexican, while the third judge had it eight-to-four.

In one of the most highly anticipated trilogies of this generation, the 40-year-old Golovkin had noticeably lost a step compared to the version of himself that arguably won both of the first two fights, although the first was scored as a draw and he lost a controversial majority decision in the second.

Alvarez is still very much in his prime at 32 years old, and he was physically dominant, boasting a clear speed advantage with his hands and his footwork as he seemingly took each of the first eight rounds without much trouble.

From that point on Alvarez took his foot off the pedal, coasting through the championship rounds while avoiding any dangerous exchanges as he was convinced he had already done enough to bank the decision.

Speaking after his win, Alvarez thanked Golovkin for his part in what will go down as some of the richest fights since the end of the Floyd Mayweather era, with the two competitors splitting a guaranteed $65million for Saturday's outing, and that is before adding in their pay-per-view cuts.

"Thank you so much my friend, thank you Golovkin," he said. "We gave the fans three good fights – thank you for everything.

"Thank you all so much for your support. I've gone through some very difficult things in my life, and the only thing you can do is try to continue moving forward.

"I've gone through difficult times recently with my defeat, and I've actually shown that defeats are great, because it enables you to come back and show humility.

"[Golovkin] is a really good fighter – he's a great fighter, and that's why we're here. I'm glad to share the ring with him, and I'm going to keep moving forward to keep my legacy going strong."

His recent defeat against Bivol was the only loss of Alvarez's career other than his defeat against Floyd Mayweather when he was just 23 years old back in 2013.

After starting his championship-level career at super welterweight (154lbs), Alvarez has continued to rise through the weight classes in search of more world titles.

He jumped up to middleweight (160lbs) in 2015 to defeat Miguel Cotto, before going up again to super middleweight (168lbs) – where he remains now – to dethrone Rocky Fielding in 2018.

In 2019 he made the decision to push things even further, challenging Sergey Kovalev for the light heavyweight title (175lbs), where he struggled with the significant size disadvantage, but came from behind to score a knockout win in the 11th round.

Bivol was his second crack at light heavyweight, and it went very similar to his first try, except this time he could not find a fight-changing blow through 12 rounds of impressive action from the bigger, longer, stronger Bivol.

Despite what was a surprisingly convincing loss, Alvarez made it clear he is determined to avenge the defeat, putting emphasis on the legacy he hopes to leave.

"It's very important for my legacy, for me," he said. "For my pride, for my country, for my family, for everything.

"It's very important... I will beat him."

The final fight of the trilogy between Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin failed to live up to the hype as the Mexican star controlled the contest from bell-to-bell for a convincing unanimous decision triumph.

After a draw in their first matchup – which most fight fans feel should have been a win for Golovkin – and another controversial majority decision win for Alvarez in the rematch, this was a decisive end to the rivalry even if the scorecards ended up close.

Two of the three judges scored the bout 115-113 for Alvarez, meaning they had him winning seven rounds to five, although there was a strong argument that Alvarez comfortably won the first eight rounds of the fight before coasting to the finish.

It was a disappointing showing for the 40-year-old Golovkin, who was once one of the most feared power punchers in the sport and arguably the better boxer for the first two fights of the trilogy, but he failed to ever threaten the 32-year-old Alvarez, who was noticeably faster with both his hands and his feet.

The loss moves Golovkin's record to 42-2-1 – with both of his losses and his draw coming against Alvarez – having entered the rivalry at a perfect 37-0.

For Alvarez, he is now 58-2-2, bouncing back from his second career loss in his last fight when he tried to jump up multiple weight classes and collect another world title, ultimately being outpointed by the much larger Dmitry Bivol.

Alvarez made a guaranteed $45million for Saturday's finale to the trilogy, and that will likely climb over $60m once his cut of the pay-per-views are factored in. Golovkin, on the 'B-side' of the draw, will pocket $20m guaranteed plus a smaller share of the pay-per-view buys.

Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez declared his mission for Saturday's trilogy fight with bitter rival Gennady Golovkin is to "finish him off" inside the distance.

After a split draw in their first fight five years ago, Canelo was declared the winner of their September 2018 rematch by a majority decision.

He edged a tight contest 115-113 on two of the judges' cards, with the other judge unable to split the fighters, while many observers thought Golovkin had been the superior fighter.

It means there is unfinished business heading into the long-awaited third fight, which, like the first two, will play out at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Golovkin, now 40 years of age, is a big underdog this time, while 32-year-old Canelo must handle the pressure of being the man expected to reign in the ring.

Speaking to Stats Perform, Canelo said: "I feel great, I'm ready for this weekend, so I can't wait. I'm very excited.

"I was very happy when I won the second fight because I knew I won the first fight, too, so I was really happy."

There is a real dislike between the fighters on a personal basis, with Mexican Canelo open about his disdain for Kazakh Golovkin.

"As a fighter, he's a great fighter, but as a person I don't like him," Canelo said.

The boxing website Boxrec rates Canelo as the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet, placing Golovkin ninth on that list.

Nothing would give Canelo more pleasure than being able to settle fight three against 'Triple G' without the need for judges this time.

By channelling his personal feelings towards Golovkin into his punching, Canelo is confident of getting the job done.

"It gives you that extra motivation of wanting to win, to go and finish him off basically," Canelo said. "That's what I've been training for and that's what I'm hoping to do on Saturday."

Golovkin carries a 42-1-1 pro career record into the fight, while Canelo is 57-2-2 after slipping up in a light-heavyweight clash with Dmitry Bivol in May, also at T-Mobile Arena.

He narrowly lost on points to his Russian opponent that day, after going up a weight, and is adamant the recent experience of defeat will not hinder him come bell time on Saturday.

"It gives me extra motivation to come back," Canelo said. "Sometimes in boxing you win or lose, but I'm going to come back stronger than ever.

"I did something that I didn't need to do, going up a division, I have no right to go up there, but that's what happens. I lost this, and I need to accept it like a man and come back stronger than ever, and that's what I'll be doing."

Tyson Fury has set a one-week deadline for "suitors" to "come up with the money" to fight him.

Fury claimed before and after retaining his WBC world heavyweight title by stopping Dillian Whyte at Wembley in April that the all-British fight would be the last of his career.

Yet talked has turned to a unification bout between the 34-year-old and WBA, IBF and WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk following the Ukrainian's second victory over Anthony Joshua on Saturday.

Usyk's promoter Alex Krassyuk said a fight with Fury is "in the making", while Fury's co-promoters Frank Warren and Bob Arum are also confident of doing a deal.

Fury on Wednesday urged the interested parties to put their money where their mouth is.

He posted on Instagram and Twitter: "Hi guys, for all these suitors out there that want to make the fight, I’m gonna give you all seven days, until the first of September, to come up with the money. If not, thank you vey much, it's been a blast, I'm retired."

Fury added in another video: "And also guys, forgot to say, all of them offers submitted, must be to my lawyer Robert Davies, in writing, with proof of funds. So let the games begin. Boom!"

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman this week said Fury has until Friday to make it clear whether he intends to fight again.

Fury stated in June that he would want £500million to come out of retirement.

Oleksandr Usyk's promoter Alex Krassyuk has said a much-anticipated fight with Tyson Fury for all four of the world heavyweight titles is "in the making".

Usyk was a split-decision victor in his rematch against Anthony Joshua on Saturday in Jeddah, retaining the WBA, IBF and WBO belts that he took off the same opponent at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last year.

It means that the Ukrainian would now just need the WBC belt to make him only the second fighter in the four-belt era behind Claressa Shields to become undisputed in two different weight classes, having already held all four titles in the cruiserweight division.

That WBC belt belongs to Fury, who has not been in the ring since April when he defended his strap by stopping Dillian Whyte with a brutal uppercut in the sixth round at Wembley.

Fury has since claimed to be retired, but it appears that he could be tempted back into the ring to face Usyk and crown an undisputed champion in the heavyweight division, after telling his Instagram followers he would "annihilate" both Usyk and Joshua following the conclusion of their rematch.

And Usyk's promoter Krassyuk is confident the fight between the two undefeated titleholders will happen, telling Sky Sports on Tuesday: "It's in the making."

Speaking on Monday, meanwhile, Fury's co-promoter Frank Warren also indicated he is confident of the Briton getting in the ring with Usyk.

"[Fury] and Usyk would be a really good fight," Warren told BBC Radio 5 Live. "It's a fight that I think will be made because both teams would like to see that happen.

"Usyk said after the fight that it's the only fight he's interested in, and it's certainly the same case with Tyson. It's just a matter of where it will generate the most income because it's a unique fight, a historic fight."

A heavyweight unification bout between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk "will be made", says promoter Frank Warren, who also did not discount the possibility of an all-British bout between Fury and Anthony Joshua.

Usyk retained his WBA, WBO and IBF titles, and also claimed the Ring Magazine belt with a split-decision victory over Joshua on Saturday to take his record to 20 professional bouts undefeated.

WBC champion Fury appeared to reaffirm his retiremenet ahead of the fight, but subsequently suggested promoters and fans "get [their] cheque book out" after the Ukrainian's win.

Warren, who handles Fury's bouts, has suggested the pair could square off next - and finally deliver the division's first undsputed champion since 1999.

"He and Usyk would be a really good fight," Warren told BBC Radio 5 Live. "It's a fight that I think will be made because both teams would like to see that happen."

Britain's Lennox Lewis beat Evander Holyfield to become the last undisputed heavyweight champion over two decades ago, but there has not been a bout with all four belts on the line since the WBO title was included in 2007.

"Usyk said after the fight that it's the only fight he's interested in, and it's certainly the same case with Tyson," Warren added.

"It's just a matter of where it will generate the most income because it's a unique fight, a historic fight.

"It's the first time for God knows how long that the four belts are on the line. Both fighters are undefeated. The whole world of boxing will be captivated by this fight."

Warren has also not ruled out seeing the long-awaited clash between Fury and Joshua, though the likelihood of such a fight following the latter's third defeat in his past five fights seems questionable.

Joshua first lost the WBA, WBO and IBF titles to Andy Ruiz Jr, though despite winning them back in the rematch, subsequently lost them to Usyk again last year.

The prospect of an all-British unification bout between Joshua and Fury was floated at multiple points during their reigns but ultimately never materialised, and Warren said Joshua will have to win some more fights before he can be considered a contender for Fury.

"If AJ manages to get a couple of wins under his belt - and I believe Tyson will beat Usyk - that may be a fight to be made," Warren added. "But AJ's got to re-establish himself before you can even think about fights like that."

Anthony Joshua admitted emotions got the better of him after he launched an impassioned rant in the aftermath of his split-decision loss to Oleksandr Usyk.

Usyk outclassed Joshua to clinch the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles in London last year, and produced another polished performance to deal the 32-year-old a further defeat in Jeddah on Saturday.

While Joshua's improved display saw one judge surprisingly score the fight 115-113 in his favour, Usyk retained his titles after the other two adjudged him to be the victor of an absorbing bout.

Joshua responded to the defeat in bizarre fashion, throwing the Ukrainian's belts to the ground before returning to the ring to give a speech in which he discussed his background and hailed Usyk's abilities.

Joshua, who has lost three of his last five fights, subsequently declared: "When you're angry you do stupid things."

On Sunday, he moved to explain his actions.

"I wish Oleksandr Usyk continued success in your quest for greatness. You are a class act champ," he wrote on Twitter.

"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.

"I'll be the first to admit, I let myself down. I acted out of pure passion and emotion and when not controlled it ain't great.

"I love this sport so so much and I'll be better from this point on. Respect."

Usyk declared a desire to face Tyson Fury after sealing impressive back-to-back wins over Johsua, saying: "I'm sure he wants to fight me. I want to fight him. If I'm not fighting Tyson Fury, I'm not fighting at all."

Anthony Joshua insisted he is a "fighter for a life" with a "hunger that never dies" amid speculation over his future after another defeat to Oleksandr Usyk.

Usyk outclassed the Briton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last year, claiming the WBA, IBF and WBO belts.

The Ukrainian was challenged more in the rematch in Jeddah on Saturday, but produced a near-perfect display in the later rounds to defend his world heavyweight champion status with a split-decision victory.

One judge scored the fight 115-113 in Joshua's favour, while another had the same result for Usyk, with the third decisively awarding Usyk a 116-112 success.

An enraged Joshua picked up the belts after the fight before throwing them down, prior to returning to the ring to launch a bizarre yet impassioned rant on his background and Usyk's skills.

Joshua has now lost three of his past five fights, all of them for world titles, and could not hide his emotions at the post-fight press conference.

"It's really, really hard for me to say I'm proud of myself," he said. "I'm upset, really, deep down in my heart."

On his actions after the conclusion of the fight, Joshua added: "When you try and do things from your heart, not everyone is going to understand," Joshua explained.

"It was just from the heart. I knew I was mad at myself. Not at anyone, just myself. I was like 'I got to get out of here because I'm mad'.

"When you're angry you might do stupid things. Then I realised this is sport. I came back and did the right thing.

"I'm a fighter for life. That hunger never dies. Fighter for life."

Eddie Hearn, the promoter for Joshua, labelled his fighter an idol within world sport as he echoed the sentiments that the 32-year-old will not retire.

"This is someone who I want my kids to look up to," Hearn added. "If he's out in public, he gives everyone his time. He's one of the nicest guys. He's a competitor and winner.

"What you saw was raw emotion. A real person who wanted to win badly."