The long-awaited Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua fight has hit another massive roadblock.
Fury has now claimed that his highly anticipated showdown with Joshua is off, accusing AJ of backing out of the fight after months of negotiations. Instead of waiting around, Fury has already turned his attention toward a familiar rival: Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury Says AJ Has Backed Out
Fury took to social media with a fiery message aimed directly at Joshua.
The former heavyweight champion claimed Joshua had once again failed to commit to the fight and used extremely strong language to criticize his British rival. Fury suggested that after more than a decade of anticipation surrounding a potential Fury-Joshua matchup, he is finally ready to move on.
The biggest issue surrounding the fight has reportedly been the location.
Joshua’s side has pushed for the bout to take place in the United Kingdom, with Wembley Stadium emerging as a preferred destination. Meanwhile, there has been significant interest in staging the event in the United States, including at Madison Square Garden.
Usyk Suddenly Becomes the Target
With Fury seemingly moving on from Joshua, he immediately named his preferred replacement.
Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury has called for a third fight with the Ukrainian heavyweight, who defeated him twice in 2024. Those two losses remain the only defeats of Fury’s professional career, making a trilogy one of the biggest possible fights in the heavyweight division.
Fury is reportedly interested in making the trilogy happen in November.
That would give him another opportunity to settle the rivalry with the man who has already beaten him twice.
But Is Fury Joshua Really Off?
Despite Fury’s comments, the situation isn’t necessarily finished.
Eddie Hearn has pushed back against the idea that Joshua simply walked away from the fight, saying there is a legally binding agreement in place and that the main sticking point remains the venue. Hearn has continued working on ways to keep the blockbuster fight alive.
That means the heavyweight division could still have another twist coming.
For now, however, Fury appears ready to move forward.
Tyson Fury wanted Anthony Joshua. Now he’s calling him out for allegedly backing away and has turned his attention toward Oleksandr Usyk. If the Joshua fight truly falls apart, a Fury-Usyk trilogy could suddenly become the biggest fight in boxing once again.
