WATCH | 'I should have won' - tearful Joshua angrily storms out after Usyk rematch defeat

A tearful Anthony Joshua rued his second straight defeat to Oleksandr Usyk after the supremely talented Ukrainian fought back to retain his world heavyweight titles in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

Joshua hurled two of Usyk's belts to the canvas and stormed out of the ring in a fit of pique after letting slip a golden opportunity to hand the Ukrainian his first professional loss.

Anthony Joshua lost his temper after losing his rematch to Oleksandr Usyk and reacted angrily by throwing two belts out of the ring. ??pic.twitter.com/VjS8z3UrGl

The 6ft 6ins (1.98m) Briton scented victory when he had Usyk hanging on in the ninth round, only for the mobile southpaw to come firing back and control the final stages for a split-decision win.

Joshua, 32, let fly a string of expletives - in front of the deeply conservative country's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - in an impassioned post-match speech.

"I just spoke from my heart. It has been so tough. You see AJ holding it together. I'm a hustler, so I try to keep things together, try work hard. Make sure my team is good," he said.

"It comes at a cost. It would never break me but it takes real strength and tonight there's a little crack in the armour."

While Joshua is left trying to rebuild his career after his third defeat, Usyk retains the IBF, WBA and WBO titles and will now seek a unification showdown with WBC champion Tyson Fury.

"I should have won," lamented Joshua, who was too emotional to speak for part of his post-fight press conference.

"I adapted, I made the change that I needed to give him more of a competitor. It wasn't enough but I left everything in the gym," he added.

"If I would have left everything in the ring I would have won."

Usyk agreed with Joshua, saying: