Tyson Fury has accused Anthony Joshua of withdrawing from their eagerly awaited all-British heavyweight contest and has turned his attention towards a third meeting with Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury demands clarity on next opponent
- Fury and Joshua have been negotiating a long-awaited bout, but the former champion has become frustrated by the absence of an official confirmation. He branded Joshua a “coward” last week.
- The proposed fight between the two ex-heavyweight world champions is expected to take place in November, although no venue has been settled.
- In a profanity-filled Instagram video, 38-year-old Fury said Joshua was abandoning the contest.
- Fury said the situation would leave him pursuing Usyk instead. Addressing the Ukrainian, he claimed Usyk was part of Joshua’s training setup and understood that Joshua was mentally weak and unwilling to face him, despite Usyk having agreed to fight Fury twice.
- Fury acknowledged that Usyk had won the judges’ decisions in both previous encounters, adding that he respected the result before calling for another bout in November.
- He then put the choice to Usyk, asking whether the Ukrainian wanted to fight him during 2026 or whether he was ending his career. Fury added that he was now searching for a different opponent.
- Fury has been beaten by Usyk twice. Usyk is a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion.
- Joshua has been preparing alongside members of Usyk’s Ukrainian coaching team.
- Madison Square Garden in New York had been regarded as the leading candidate to host Fury versus Joshua, although Joshua’s camp would rather stage the event at Wembley Stadium.
- Sela, the Saudi state-backed company funding the contest, and Netflix, the fight’s broadcaster, are understood to prefer holding it in the United States.
