Tyson Fury has lit the fuse again. With an all-British blockbuster against Anthony Joshua supposedly next on his schedule, the WBC heavyweight champion has declared he is already hunting for a new opponent — and he wants Oleksandr Usyk.
The Fury–Joshua fight has been pencilled in for November, with both fighters understood to have signed their own contracts for the bout. On paper, the deal is there. In reality, the details are dragging.
The sticking point is the venue. Organisers are pushing to take the fight to the United States, chasing the global spotlight and the money that follows it. Joshua, though, has made no secret of his preference: Wembley Stadium, a homecoming epic in front of a vast London crowd. That tug-of-war has slowed any official announcement and opened the door for Fury to turn up the volume.
He did it in typical Fury fashion.
In an expletive-laden Instagram video, the “Gypsy King” accused Joshua of backing away from the fight and used the delay as a springboard to pivot towards Usyk, the man who twice outboxed Joshua and now looms over the heavyweight landscape.
“This will only lead me to a fight with Oleksandr Usyk,” Fury said, framing Joshua’s hesitation as his cue to move on.
Then he went straight at the Ukrainian and Joshua in one breath. Fury branded Joshua “weak minded” and claimed Usyk, who has twice faced Fury in high-stakes clashes, knows it. He painted Usyk as the man with the courage to do what Joshua “would never” do — step in with the Gypsy King.
“You got the decisions last time, fair play to you,” Fury admitted, nodding to their previous meetings and acknowledging the verdicts that went Usyk’s way.
That respect quickly turned into a challenge. Fury called on Usyk to “run it back in November,” insisting he is ready to face him again this year and pushing the Ukrainian to make a choice on his future.
“The ball is now in your court… do you want to fight me this year, 2026, or are you calling quits?” he said, leaving the question hanging as both a taunt and an ultimatum.
For all the noise, the contractual reality remains: Fury is still tied to a proposed fight with Joshua. The November date, the US versus Wembley debate, the unsigned venue agreement — all of it keeps the heavyweight division on edge.
Fury, though, has made one thing crystal clear. If the Joshua saga drags on, he is ready to rip up the script and chase the man who already holds two wins over him. Usyk now knows exactly where the challenge is coming from, and exactly when Fury wants it.
