Fury says he is looking for new opponent, calls out Usyk

Tyson Fury has announced that he is seeking a new opponent, suggesting that his anticipated fight with Anthony Joshua is no longer happening. In a series of recent statements and a new video, Fury challenged Oleksandr Usyk to a trilogy bout to resolve their rivalry. Fury's comments regarding Joshua were highly critical; according to RTE.ie, he launched a foul-mouthed tirade calling Joshua a coward, while Bleacher Report notes that Fury claimed Joshua 's--t his pants' in the process of these negotiations. Coverage from a wide array of sports outlets emphasizes the instability of the Fury-Joshua matchup. ESPN, TSN, and the Baltimore Sun all report that Fury suggests the Joshua fight is off in favor of the Usyk challenge.

Meanwhile, MMA Fighting and sports.yahoo.com highlight comments from Eddie Hearn, who stated that the involvement of TKO is actually pushing the potential fight between Fury and Joshua further away. This indicates a disconnect between the fighter's public challenges and the promotional logistics managed by the organizers. Context for this trend involves high-level political interest in the location of these bouts. According to ESPN, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has actively pleaded with the promoters to host the fight within the UK. This underscores the economic and cultural significance of the heavyweight division's top matchups.

The shift in focus toward Usyk suggests a preference for a trilogy fight, implying a history of previous encounters that Fury now wishes to extend into a third match to settle the score. Looking forward, the focus remains on whether the promotional entities can resolve the issues cited by Eddie Hearn. While Tyson Fury is publicly calling for Usyk, the outcome depends on the response from Usyk and the promoters. Additionally, the request from Mayor Sadiq Khan to keep the action in the UK remains a key point of interest as the parties determine where any future fight—whether against Joshua or Usyk—will actually take place.