Tyson Fury has called out Oleksandr Usyk for a November fight after claiming Anthony Joshua is backing out of their proposed heavyweight contest. Fury and Joshua have signed separate contracts with Saudi Arabian promoter Sela for the bout.
The delay centres on the venue. Joshua’s contract requires the fight to take place in the UK, while Sela and Netflix are understood to favour Madison Square Garden in New York. Eddie Hearn has been renegotiating the arrangements after talks about staging the event in Britain reopened.
Fury responded to the delay by calling out Usyk. In an Instagram video, he said: “This will only lead me to a fight with Oleksandr Usyk.”
Fury also criticised Joshua while addressing Usyk, who now works with Joshua as part of his training and coaching team. 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.”
Usyk has beaten Fury twice, with Fury acknowledging the two decisions before proposing a third bout. “You got the decisions last time, fair play to you,” he said. “Good luck to you, let’s do it again. Let’s run it back in November.”
Fury then challenged Usyk to agree to the fight. “The ball is now in your court… do you want to fight me this year, 2026, or are you calling it quits?” He added: “Let me know because I am now looking for a new opponent.”
Sela, Queensberry and Matchroom have not commented on whether negotiations have broken down. Hearn had previously said he hoped an announcement could come in the following week.
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan wants the fight at Wembley and said: “A message to the promoters – we want to host it in London. Talk to us, we’re really keen to have it.” Sela has contacted the mayor’s office about staging the event at the national stadium, but discussions had not progressed further since the previous week.
A Wembley fight could take place in the early hours of the morning in Britain to accommodate a larger US television audience. Khan said: “I’m hoping the promoters understand that not only will you get 100,000 people watching this bout live, you’ll get millions watching it across the globe, where both boxers are cheered on by their loyal fans.”
