Floyd Mayweather insists Oleksandr Usyk's win over Anthony Joshua was NOT an upset as he admitted the Ukrainian is 'a hell of a fighter'.
Unified heavyweight king Usyk ripped the crown from AJ's clutches in stunning fashion at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London three months ago.
Usyk won the fight by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the fight in his favour, which led some boxing fans to describe it as an upset because of the obvious difference in size and reach advantage.
However, Mayweather insisted that isn't the case as Usyk is a master of his craft - with the 44-year-old claiming both men in actual fact have 'crazy amateur backgrounds'.
Speaking to reporters, Mayweather said: “That was not an upset.
“It was just that, Anthony Joshua was on TV. Everybody [sic] seen him.
"Usyk is a hell of a fighter, a gold medallist if I’m not mistaken, but he was behind the scenes.
“Two guys with crazy amateur backgrounds and one guy is not being seen and another guy is being seen, then we call it an upset.
"No, it’s just that he was working behind the scenes and another guy was working in front of everybody.
"Finally, they had to meet up and Anthony Joshua came up short.”
Joshua says he is frustrated by the manner of the defeat and has warned his rival to expect no mercy in their rematch.
The 32-year-old fumed: "I'm done with f------ losing.
"I'm done with trying to learn the sweet science. The referee might get thrown on the floor in the next fight because this is war.
"It's just straight war, I'm annoyed. I'm boiling up even speaking about it - it's that passion to win."
It is understood AJ is currently searching for a new trainer as he plans to make several changes to the structure of his training camp before he steps back in the ring with Usyk in the new year.
He continued: "I need to step away and get some new teachings from trainers who have trained the likes of like thirteen or fourteen world champions.
"I don't need anyone that is going to make me, I am a f------ winner but I need to get out and put myself back in the gym.
"In hindsight I wish I had done these things sooner, but now I can go out there and add things to my game."
MORE: Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk rematch still on track for April, according to Eddie Hearn