Tyson Fury has declared that his blockbuster showdown with Anthony Joshua is off, while calling out old rival Oleksandr Usyk for a trilogy fight.
The self-proclaimed “Gypsy King” took to social media on Sunday to make the claim, days after his promoter had been locked in negotiations over the location of the proposed bout.
Fury and Joshua are both contracted to fight later this year, but a long-running dispute over venue has stalled an official announcement. Joshua signed a contract stipulating that the contest be held in the United Kingdom, while it remains unclear whether Fury’s own contract specifies the same.
The event’s promoter and chief financier, Sela, alongside broadcaster Netflix, have pushed for the fight to be staged in the United States, believing it would reach a wider audience if scheduled at a time suited to American viewers. Madison Square Garden in New York had been mooted as a potential venue for the bout in November.
Joshua, together with his promoter Eddie Hearn, has continued to insist the fight must take place in the UK. Hearn said on Friday that talks had reopened to stage the contest at Wembley Stadium, following a public appeal from London Mayor Sadiq Khan for the fight to be brought to the English capital.
“A message to the promoters, we want to host it in London. Talk to us, we’re really keen to have it,” Khan told BBC Sport.
However, Fury announced over the weekend that he no longer expects to fight Joshua, instead inviting Usyk who beat him on points in both of their meetings in 2024 to step in.
“This will only lead me to a fight with Oleksandr Usyk. Oleksandr, you’re his trainer and his sensei and you know he is weak minded, and that he would never fight the Gypsy King, which you have had the guts to do twice.
“You got the decisions last time, fair play to you. Good luck to you, let us do it again. Let us run it back in November. The ball is now in your court, do you want to fight me this year, 2026, or are you calling it quits? Let me know because I am now looking for a new opponent,” Fury said.
Usyk, whose training team is led by Sergey Lapin and now also coaches Joshua, relinquished his three heavyweight belts in June and is understood to be close to confirming a fight with fellow veteran Deontay Wilder.
Despite Fury’s comments, neither camp has issued an official confirmation on the fate of the Joshua fight, with speculation persisting that the November date in New York could still go ahead.
