What furious Anthony Joshua said to Oleksandr Usyk's pal immediately after heavyweight loss

Anthony Joshua had a surreal and heated conversation with Oleksandr Usyk's friend Vasyl Lomachenko after tasting defeat for the third time in his career on Saturday night. Usyk picked up a split decision victory over the Briton, whose prospects of winning successful fights in the future were dented by another frustrating result.

Joshua was beaten in convincing fashion the first time he and Usyk met, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium just under a year ago. A coaching change and 11 months of hard work couldn't change the outcome as the duo fought for the second time in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

AJ appeared more determined and sharp but, over the course of 12 rounds, he had no complaints on the judges' scorecards. Usyk was rocked in the ninth round but successfully weathered the storm to take his professional unbeaten streak to 20 fights.

After the fight, which took Joshua's record to 24-3, he reacted angrily and stormed out of the ring before returning and delivering an impassioned, X-rated speech.

DON'T MISS:

Amidst the chaos, he had a heated discussion with Usyk's compatriot, Lomachenko, who is considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet. "That's when you respected me as a man, but now I'm like anybody else in this business," Joshua said. "Good boxing must win."

Lomachenko tried to console the Briton by replying, "No, you showed your heart!" But AJ was in no mood to reflect positively on his night's work and repeatedly shouted, "F*** that s***. F*** that s***!"

READ MORE Fury makes another U-turn in retirement to challenge Usyk

As he was held back by people in his corner, Joshua was heard yelling, "Don't fuck me, you know! Don't fuck me." He was later in tears at his post-fight press conference when asked if he was proud of himself as the reality of a third loss in five fights unfolded. p>

Over the past few years, millions of British boxing fans have called on AJ to take on compatriot Tyson Fury in what would be a timeless heavyweight contest. But those odds seem to be receding with Usyk in the prime position to demand such a fight, which would hypothetically bring Fury out of retirement.

“I want to thank everyone who prayed for me,” Usyk told Sky Sports. "I want to thank God for the help he gave me today. He gave me a lot today. My lord is Jesus Christ. Thank you very much. I am convinced that Tyson Fury is not not retired. I want to fight Tyson Fury, if I don't fight Tyson Fury then I'm not fighting at all."

The Gypsy King then responded, calling the fight one of the worst he's ever seen and saying he could "wipe them both out on the same night".