ANTHONY JOSHUA threw fewer punches in his rematch against Oleksandr Usyk, despite his shift in tactics.
The Brit lost by a split decision to the WBA, IBF, and WBO heavyweight champions in Saudi Arabia last weekend.
Last weekend, Anthony Joshua renewed his rivalry against Oleksandr Usyk
The Brit lost in split-decision to the undefeated Ukrainian
AJ threw fewer punches during their rematch despite his aggressive approach
Joshua and Robert Garcia, the new coach, adopted a more aggressive approach in the Jeddah jostle after the defeat of the former champ at Tottenham last September.
The Watford warrior was able to land ONE more blow on the elusive and fleetfooted Usyk.
Joshua threw 429 more punches than the 641 he attempted to land last year.
AJ, 32, was able to connect with the undefeated Ukrainian 124 more times at King Abdullah Sports City Arena.
Joshua's greatest success came in round nine, when he fought the undisputed cruiserweight king.
However, Usyk came back strong in the final round and showed the heart of a champion in Round 10.
Eddie Hearn, promoter of iFL TV said that Usyk lost the tenth round by two rounds. However, when the score is 115-113 it's the swing of one to two rounds. You can see the opposite.
"I had AJ level, or possibly up at the end the ninth, but Usyk won the last three rounds.
"I thought he's amazing and it was one the greatest performances.
"The ninth, Usyk, was all over the place. He suffered severe injuries.
"He looked like he could do it.
"What he did with the tenth was amazing and that's why it was number one pound-for-pound.
"The number of punches that he threw during the tenth round was amazing. It was unbelievable to see what he did during the championship rounds.
After being severely injured in round nine, Usyk put on a spectacular tenth round
Joshua, furious after his second consecutive loss, raged at the microphone but quickly apologized for his actions.
He tweeted: "I wish @usykaa continued happiness in your pursuit for greatness. You're a champion.
"Yesterday, I had to mentally place myself in a dark place to compete to win the championship belts!"
"I had two fights with Usyk, and one with my emotions. Both got the better me.
"I will be the first to admit that I was let down.
"I acted out pure passion and emotion, and when it wasn't controlled it was terrible.
"I love this sport so much, and I'll continue to improve from here on." Respect."
