Tyson Fury Seeks New Opponent Amid Joshua Stalemate
Tyson Fury has gone back to a familiar name as his heavyweight saga with Anthony Joshua stalls – but Oleksandr Usyk’s camp wants no part of being the consolation prize.
With negotiations for the long-awaited all-British showdown dragging on over the venue, Fury took to social media on Monday to declare he was “looking for a new opponent” and called for a third fight with the Ukrainian who beat him twice in 2024 to become undisputed heavyweight champion.
The answer from Team Usyk was swift – and cold.
“Usyk is not Tyson's backup plan”
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Usyk’s manager Sergey Lapin cut through the noise.
"Usyk is not Tyson's backup plan,” he said, making it clear the undisputed king has no intention of being used as leverage in Fury’s latest public power play.
"If Fury needs an opponent, he should visit the Ready to Fight platform. They can help him find a worthy opponent there.
"Oleksandr is always open to big challenges. But serious intentions are backed by a concrete offer, not statements in the press."
No teasing. No flirting. Just a reminder that if Fury truly wants Usyk again, he knows the route – and it isn’t via Instagram.
Fury turns the heat up as Joshua talks stall
The backdrop is messy. Both Fury and Joshua have already signed individual contracts for a fight pencilled in for November, but the bout remains stuck on one of boxing’s oldest stumbling blocks: where to stage it.
Speculation has swirled around New York City as a possible host. Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn, though, has been clear – he and his fighter want London. Fury has pushed the narrative that Joshua is dragging his feet, accusing his rival of trying to avoid a fight more than a decade in the making.
Into that deadlock stepped Fury’s latest online broadside.
"This will only lead me to a fight with Oleksandr Usyk," he said in a video posted on Instagram, turning his fire on both Joshua and the man who twice outboxed him.
Addressing Usyk directly, Fury added: "Oleksandr you're his [Joshua's] trainer and his sensei and you know he is weak minded... and that he would never fight the Gypsy King which you have had the guts to do twice.
"You got the decisions last time, fair play to you. Good luck to you, let's do it again. Let's run it back in November. The ball is now in your court... do you want to fight me this year, 2026, or are you calling it quits?
"Let me know because I am now looking for a new opponent."
It was classic Fury: part taunt, part sales pitch, part pressure tactic aimed at everyone in the heavyweight orbit.
Usyk’s next move – Wilder, not Fury?
Usyk, now 39, stepped away from his belts in June, voluntarily vacating the three heavyweight titles he still held. He made it equally clear he was not retiring. The Ukrainian, 25-0 as a professional, is still chasing challenges, just on his own terms.
His name has recently been linked with Deontay Wilder, a fight that would offer a fresh storyline rather than a third chapter with Fury. After back-to-back wins over Joshua in 2021 and 2022, Usyk has even become part of Joshua’s training setup over the last year, adding another twist to this crowded heavyweight triangle.
So while Fury shouts into the camera and Joshua haggles over cities, Usyk stands in a different position entirely: unbeaten, belts vacated, options open.
Lapin’s message underlined that reality. If Fury wants redemption against the man who stripped him of his undisputed crown, he needs more than a video and a deadline. He needs a real offer.
Until that lands, the Gypsy King is still searching for a dance partner, and the most decorated heavyweight of this era has no interest in being anyone’s Plan B.
