Former world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder insisted “this is not the end” after his shock points loss to New Zealand’s Joseph Parker.
The defeat scuppers plans for a long awaited showdown with Britain’s Anthony Joshua, who beat Sweden’s Otto Wallin on the same bill in Saudi Arabia.
It was Wilder’s third defeat in 47 fights, the other two coming against Britain’s Tyson Fury in their trilogy.
“We came up short tonight,” said American Wilder, 38.
In a video on Instagram, he added: “I don’t know what happened to be honest. My timing was off and I didn’t let my hands go like I was supposed to.
“Sometimes it gets like that but you live to see another fight. You live to see another moment, that’s all that matters. I’m still full of happiness, I’m still full of joy and still full of smiles.
“Sorry if I let anyone down. But we’ll be back though, that’s the good thing about it.
“I thank you so much for the love and support that I got in Riyadh and all my fans around the world. I thank you, I appreciate you so much. This is not the end, we’ll be back.”
Joshua and Wilder were expected to fight at some point in early 2024 before Saturday’s defeat for the American.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn told BBC Radio 5 Live: “We signed the contract finally and then that happens, he lost every round to Parker, but we move on.”
Two-time champion Joshua, 34, added: “I’m not too sure what can happen from here. I’m sure from a fan perspective, they’ll be more annoyed.
“I always understand how this game is. You never know – this is elite level boxing. Wilder just came up short, he’ll live up to fight another day.
“Me and him can still get it on, we can still get it cracking. I believe I’m a massive threat. I still believe Wilder is a threat and I still think it does amazing numbers if we get it on.”
‘Joshua is back’
Joshua stopped Wallin at the end of the fifth round for his third win of the year.
With Oleksandr Usyk v Fury on 17 February in Saudi Arabia, a potential rematch between that pair could see the IBF title become vacant.
If that happens, Hearn said Joshua is most likely going to face Croatia’s Filip Hrgovic for the IBF title.
“He is like a new fighter, the last two years he struggled to have the confidence and understanding of what he needs to do [in the ring],” added Hearn.
“They [his team] said to me ‘four or five rounds and this is done’ and he battered him. It was punch perfect.
“When he is like this I believe he is the best heavyweight in the world. One thing is for sure, Anthony Joshua is back.”
Meanwhile, Joshua says new coach Ben Davison – who previously helped Fury return to the top of the sport – has “switched on a lightbulb” in him.
He added: “He hasn’t tried to change me. He’s still trying to push me towards what I want to achieve, but because he knows boxing, he knows what I’m trying to do and knows how to get it out of me.”