Anthony Joshua's coach has admitted the former heavyweight world champion was "mentally defeated" after Oleksandr Usyk's 10th-round onslaught last weekend.
Joshua was outpointed by Usyk for the second time in 11th months as he failed to regain his three belts in Saudi Arabia. Joshua had the champion under pressure in the ninth round but the Ukrainian showed remarkable powers of recovery to finish the fight strongly and keep his titles.
And Garcia, who has not been heard from since the final bell, admits Joshua was relying on a lucky punch in the final rounds. "Joshua was mentally defeated since round 10 or 11," he told IZQUIERDAZO. "Round 10 was a big one for Usyk. That changed the whole fight, and mentally we were defeated. At that point, we were relying on a good shot or something like that, because Anthony is a hard puncher, and one shot can change a fight. That is what we were hoping for, one shot, because he (Joshua) was dominated at that point of the fight."
Garcia felt Joshua was close to stopping Usyk in the action-packed ninth round, but ultimately paid the price for not finishing the fight. "The fight was going well for us, but the tenth round changed everything," he added. "The last three rounds of the fight were the ones that changed the fight. In the ninth round we were close to winning, perhaps even by knockout.
"Through round nine, we were winning the fight on the judges scorecards, but it was decided in the last rounds. Usyk is a great fighter, with a tremendous heart, who knows how to finish strong, like champions do. During that ninth round, me and the guys in the corner were telling to ourselves that we had the fight.
"But nothing is secured until the final bell. Usyk came back stronger in the tenth round, and that changed the fight. I have even thought in these last few days that it was Anthony Joshua who mentally defeated himself. In the ninth, Joshua threw a lot of punches, and almost put Usyk out. Maybe, he emptied out, but maybe it was just that Usyk came stronger and more motivated to the 10th round, we don’t know."
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Garcia offered no clues as to whether he will continue to train Joshua as he rebuilds his career following back-to-back defeats. But he did admit Joshua may not have been mentally strong enough to beat Usyk. “In this fight, I think that Usyk was mentally stronger," he added.
"I think he was stronger, to the point that after being close to a knockout, instead of giving up, he came back stronger. His will and his desire to demonstrate to his country that he couldn’t let himself lose the fight, made him come back. He wanted to give a message to his country, for everything that is happening there.
"He is a big inspiration for them (Ukrainians). His mind was what made him turn the tide in the fight and get him to victory. And I think that Anthony’s mind is a bit weaker than Usyk’s, because instead of going out stronger, his mind and exhaustion play games with him."
