Fury Pulls Plug On Joshua Blockbuster, Calls Out Usyk For Trilogy Battle
Tyson Fury has sensationally claimed his much-anticipated fight with Anthony Joshua is off, and has immediately turned his attention to former rival Oleksandr Usyk.
The former heavyweight champion made the stunning announcement on social media over the weekend, declaring that he is now looking for a new opponent after negotiations over the venue for his proposed clash with Joshua stalled.
Fury and Joshua had been expected to meet later this year, with November 20 reportedly earmarked for the blockbuster encounter at Madison Square Garden in New York.
However, a dispute over where the fight should take place has complicated negotiations.
Joshua and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, have insisted that the bout must be staged in the United Kingdom, in line with the terms of Joshua's contract.
Meanwhile, promoter and financier Sela, together with broadcaster Netflix, have favoured a United States venue to maximise the event's global audience.
Talks had recently reopened over a possible showdown at Wembley Stadium following an appeal from London Mayor Sadiq Khan for the fight to be brought to the English capital.
Despite the uncertainty, Fury has now claimed he no longer expects the Joshua fight to happen.
Instead, the “Gypsy King” has challenged Usyk to a third meeting, after the Ukrainian defeated him on points in both of their previous encounters in 2024.
Fury said he was ready to “run it back” in November and challenged Usyk to decide whether he was prepared to fight again in 2026.
Usyk, meanwhile, vacated his three heavyweight belts in June and is reportedly close to finalising a fight with fellow former world champion Deontay Wilder.
Despite Fury's declaration, neither his camp nor Joshua's has officially confirmed that their blockbuster showdown has been cancelled, leaving the door open for negotiations to resume.
For now, however, the heavyweight division has been thrown into fresh uncertainty, with Fury seemingly turning his sights away from Joshua and back towards Usyk.
The former heavyweight champion made the stunning announcement on social media over the weekend, declaring that he is now looking for a new opponent after negotiations over the venue for his proposed clash with Joshua stalled.
Fury and Joshua had been expected to meet later this year, with November 20 reportedly earmarked for the blockbuster encounter at Madison Square Garden in New York.
However, a dispute over where the fight should take place has complicated negotiations.
Joshua and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, have insisted that the bout must be staged in the United Kingdom, in line with the terms of Joshua's contract.
Meanwhile, promoter and financier Sela, together with broadcaster Netflix, have favoured a United States venue to maximise the event's global audience.
Talks had recently reopened over a possible showdown at Wembley Stadium following an appeal from London Mayor Sadiq Khan for the fight to be brought to the English capital.
Despite the uncertainty, Fury has now claimed he no longer expects the Joshua fight to happen.
Instead, the “Gypsy King” has challenged Usyk to a third meeting, after the Ukrainian defeated him on points in both of their previous encounters in 2024.
Fury said he was ready to “run it back” in November and challenged Usyk to decide whether he was prepared to fight again in 2026.
Usyk, meanwhile, vacated his three heavyweight belts in June and is reportedly close to finalising a fight with fellow former world champion Deontay Wilder.
Despite Fury's declaration, neither his camp nor Joshua's has officially confirmed that their blockbuster showdown has been cancelled, leaving the door open for negotiations to resume.
For now, however, the heavyweight division has been thrown into fresh uncertainty, with Fury seemingly turning his sights away from Joshua and back towards Usyk.
