Story by Aaron Morris
Tyson Fury has claimed that his proposed boxing match with Anthony Joshua is off, as he eyes a THIRD bout with Oleksandr Usyk. AJ and the Gypsy King have been on a collision course for the entirety of their respective careers, with a long-awaited fight between the pair of English heavyweights eyeing a dance under the bright lights for November, according to reports.
However, that clash has now had water poured all over it, with Fury claiming that Joshua has changed his mind. Taking to social media on Sunday, the 38-year-old said: “So, it looks like AJ has s*** his pants yet again. After 11 years, he’s finally s*** his pants yet again.”
In the very next breath, Fury then called out long-time rival, Usyk – despite going 0-2 against the undefeated Ukrainian in back-to-back fights in 2024. He added: “So this would only lead me to a fight with Oleksandr Usyk.
“Oleksandr, you’re his trainer, and his sensei, and you know he’s a weak-minded piece of s***, and that he’d never fight the Gypsy King – which you’ve had the guts to do twice…twice. And you know how difficult it is in there.
“Listen, you got the decisions last time, fair play to you, good luck to you. But let’s do it again.
“Let’s run it back in November. The ball is now in your court, Oleksandr. Do you want to fight me this year, in 2026? Or are you calling it quits? Let me know, because I’m now looking for a new opponent.”
Joshua is yet to respond to Fury’s claims. It comes as boxing fans may not want to see a trilogy bout between Fury and Usyk, given the dominant fashion in which the Cat defeated Fury just two years ago.
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – MAY 18: Oleksandr Usyk punches Tyson Fury during the IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO and Undisputed Heavyweight titles’ fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk at Kingdom Arena on May 18, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)© GETTY
The two initially met in Riyadh in May 2024, Fury putting up his WBC heavyweight title for a chance to take Usyk’s collection of WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO belts. It was Usyk who ultimately clinched undisputed glory on the night, cruising to a split-decision win over Fury after 12 rounds, and bolstering his flawless record to 22-0.
An instant rematch ensued in the December, with Usyk closing out a unanimous decision win over Fury to put to bed any doubts with regards to their initial encounter. Fury made the decision to retire from the sport shortly after, feeling hard done-by through the judges’ decision in the second bout.
However, the Gypsy King has since returned to the world of boxing, having already fought twice this year. Fury enjoyed a unanimous decision win over Arslanbek Makhmudov in April, before retiring Mariusz Wach in the seventh round of their bout in July.
Whether fans will finally get to see the fight they’ve craved so long in the form of Fury vs Joshua this winter, remains to be seen. Although it’s seemingly now up to Joshua to respond and make the bout come to fruition.
