TYSON FURY TARGETS USYK TRILOGY AFTER ANTHONY JOSHUA FIGHT HITS FRESH ROADBLOCK

Former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has turned his attention back to Oleksandr Usyk after claiming his long-awaited showdown with Anthony Joshua is no longer going ahead. Fury made the declaration on social media, accusing Joshua of backing out of the proposed all-British heavyweight clash and immediately challenging Usyk to a third meeting. Fury suggested that the trilogy could take place in November, saying he was ready to return to the ring before the end of the year.

The development represents another major twist in the long-running saga surrounding Fury and Joshua. The two British heavyweights had been working towards a highly anticipated fight later in 2026, but negotiations have been complicated by disagreements over the venue. Joshua’s camp has pushed for the contest to take place in the United Kingdom, with Wembley among the preferred options, while organisers have considered holding the blockbuster in the United States, including Madison Square Garden in New York.

Fury, who has repeatedly expressed frustration over the delays, claimed the Joshua fight was now off and said that left Usyk as his preferred opponent. He called on the Ukrainian former undisputed champion to accept another encounter, with Fury proposing a November date. The callout has immediately revived interest in a third chapter of their rivalry, although Fury’s announcement does not necessarily mean the trilogy has been agreed or formally scheduled.

Fury and Usyk have already met twice, with the Ukrainian winning both contests in 2024. Usyk first defeated Fury to become the undisputed heavyweight champion before securing another victory in their rematch later that year. Fury subsequently returned to action and recorded comeback victories over Arslanbek Makhmudov and Mariusz Wach, while Joshua also continued his own comeback campaign. The contrasting paths of the two former champions have kept the possibility of another Fury-Usyk encounter alive.

However, the situation surrounding Joshua remains fluid. Eddie Hearn has rejected Fury’s suggestion that Joshua has withdrawn from the fight, maintaining that a legally binding agreement exists and that the major obstacle is the disagreement over where the bout should be staged. With negotiations still capable of producing a resolution, Fury’s Usyk challenge could either become his next major fight or serve as renewed pressure on Joshua’s camp to get their long-awaited showdown back on track.