Fury says Joshua fight off, calls out Usyk

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 in the 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 is not clear 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 it began at a time suited to American viewers. Madison Square Garden in New York had been mooted to host the bout on November 20.

Joshua, together with his promoter Eddie Hearn, has continued to insist that the fight must take place in the UK. Hearn said on Friday that talks had reopened to stage the contest at Wembley Stadium, after London Mayor Sadiq Khan publicly appealed 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 had told BBC Sport.

However, Fury announced over the weekend that he no longer expects to fight Joshua and instead invited 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.