Remaining undefeated was the goal for Anthony Joshua. Of course, he had other plans along the way. Winning multiple world titles, knocking off a few great fighters, and pocketing a boatload of money were all salient. But remaining spotless in the loss column was priority number one for the hulking heavyweight.

Joshua took care of business when it came to winning championships, he also took home the scalps of Joseph Parker, Dillian Whyte, and Wladimir Klitschko. From a financial standpoint, there’s no need to go into a long discussion about it. Simply put, the 33-year-old has the sort of money that will ensure the Joshua family tree is never lacking in that department. Yet, when it comes to preserving his record, Joshua failed.

In June of 2019, Andy Ruiz Jr. handed the former Olympic gold medalist his first defeat. Joshua though, bounced back, winning the immediate rematch. Just a few years later, Oleksandr Usyk saddled back-to-back losses to his resume.

Looking back on those shortcomings is a painful experience for Joshua. As he now prepares for his upcoming showdown against Robert Helenius, he was asked to look back and choose the defeat that hurt the most.

“Usyk 2,” said Joshua to DAZN Boxing. “I respect Usyk but it just hurt.”

Usyk, after aggregating every world title in the cruiserweight division, made his way up in weight just a few years ago. After pocketing a few decent wins, he found himself staring directly into the eyes of Joshua.

Somewhat listless throughout their first showdown, Joshua (25-3, 22 KOs) lost a somewhat wide unanimous decision. But, determined to prove that Usyk was nothing more than fortuitous that night, Joshua fought him again.

The results, for the most part, were the same as Usyk walked out of the ring with three of the four world titles wrapped safely around his waist. Losing, by and large, came with positive praise. Those who attended and those who watched on their television screens applauded Joshua for his aggressive approach and for making things far more competitive.

In any event, don’t come to Joshua and attempt to give him a pat on the back for a job well done. In his opinion, a loss is a loss. Furthermore, all of the congratulations that he’s receiving are a bit annoying. From his point of view, there was nothing admiral about his outing.  

“It was a weak performance by me. I wasn’t supposed to lose in my head.”