The mind games and back-and-forth jibes between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua over their ‘will-they-won’t-they’ super-fight have taken a fresh twist after Fury appeared to turn his attentions towards a possible third fight with heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk.
The long-anticipated British showdown between Fury and Joshua appears no closer to being rubber-stamped and perhaps with that in mind, Fury has now changed tack and appeared to try and entice Usyk into agreeing to complete the trilogy between the two men.
Both Fury and Joshua have signed contracts to fight each other later this year but wrangles persist over the exact location of the bout.
Amid the stand-off, Fury took to social media and after claiming his fellow Brit has backed out he then laid down a challenge to the Ukrainian great.
“This will only lead me to a fight with Oleksandr Usyk,” Fury said. “Oleksandr you’re his [Joshua’s] 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’s do it again. Let’s 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.”
Usyk prospered over Fury both times, in May and December of 2024. Responding to the video, his manager Sergey Lapin told Sky Sports News: “Usyk is not Tyson’s back-up plan. If Fury needs an opponent, he should visit the Ready to Fight platform. They can help him find a worthy opponent there.
“Oleksandr is always open to big challenges. But serious intentions are backed by a concrete offer, not statements in the press.”
Expect this saga to rumble on for a little longer more.
