The long-awaited, mega-money all-British heavyweight blockbuster between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua has imploded in dramatic fashion after Fury officially declared the fight off and turned his crosshairs toward a trilogy bout with Oleksandr Usyk.
Months of high-stakes negotiations between the rival camps have repeatedly hit walls over financial structures, venue locations, and promotional disagreements—with New York’s Madison Square Garden and London’s Wembley Stadium batted back and forth. Growing increasingly impatient at the lack of formal confirmation, an incensed Fury took to social media with an expletive-laden tirade, pointing the finger squarely at Joshua and labeling his long-time rival “weak-minded”.
“AJ has st his pants again, yet again. After 11 years he has finally st his pants… This will only lead me to a fight with Oleksandr Usyk,” Fury lashed out in his video post.
Directing his attention to the undefeated Ukrainian, who handed Fury the only two defeats of his professional career in 2024, the “Gypsy King” threw down an immediate gauntlet for a November showdown. Usyk recently vacated his heavyweight world titles, hinting at a potential retirement swansong, but Fury is eager to run it back.
“You got the decisions last time, fair play to you. Good luck to you, well, 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, 2026, or are you calling quits?”
While Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has previously maintained that an agreement was close, this latest public explosion casts serious doubts over whether the historic domestic showdown will ever materialize. As the heavyweight division plunges into fresh chaos, fight fans are left waiting to see if Usyk will entertain the trilogy offer or if negotiations with Joshua can somehow be miraculously salvaged.
