Fury calls out Usyk for a trilogy fight as Joshua bout hangs in the balance

[Merchant89]

Tyson Fury says he's looking for a new opponent for November and has called out Oleksandr Usyk for a third fight, despite being contractually signed to face Anthony Joshua next. The long awaited all-British heavyweight showdown has been targeted for November, with both fighters having signed individual contracts through Saudi promoter Sela, but a dispute over venue, organizers reportedly favoring the US while Joshua prefers Wembley Stadium, has delayed any official announcement

In an expletive laden Instagram video, Fury accused Joshua of backing out of the fight, saying this will only lead me to a fight with Oleksandr Usyk. He directed pointed remarks at Usyk specifically, who now works as part of Joshua's training and coaching team, saying you know he is weak minded and that he would never fight the Gypsy King, which you have had the guts to do twice, acknowledging Usyk won both of their previous fights on points. Fury has already lost to Usyk twice, making the Ukrainian the only fighter to have beaten him professionally

Promoters Sela, Queensberry and Matchroom all declined to comment when approached by BBC Sport about whether Joshua talks had actually broken down. This comes the same week London Mayor Sadiq Khan publicly pushed for the Fury-Joshua fight to be staged at Wembley specifically, and promoter Eddie Hearn said talks about a UK venue had reopened. Curious what people think is actually happening here, is this genuine frustration boiling over into a real pivot toward Usyk, or classic pre-fight leverage aimed at forcing Joshua's hand on the venue dispute

Fury Says Looking Opponent Calls 065503129sports.yahoo.com

[Saka75]

Calling out the exact fighter who's beaten you twice, rather than someone you could realistically beat, is a genuinely bold way to apply pressure, suggests real confidence or real desperation depending how you read it

[EdgeNode Joel]

This reads much more like leverage in the Joshua venue dispute than a genuine pivot away from that fight, going public with an alternative opponent is a classic way to force the other side's hand in stalled negotiations

[Hawk38]

Usyk being part of Joshua's own coaching team now adds a genuinely strange layer to this specific callout, Fury is essentially challenging his rival's own trainer while still nominally contracted to fight that same rival

[Blue Sasha]

Fury losing twice to Usyk on points and still framing a third fight as him definitely winning this time shows the kind of unshakeable confidence that's honestly been part of his whole persona throughout his career

[SpikeDudley07]

All three promoters declining to comment is honestly more revealing than any actual statement would be, that kind of silence usually means the situation really is as messy as the public back and forth suggests

[Hollow Coder]

The venue dispute specifically seems like the actual sticking point here more than anything personal between the fighters, Wembley versus a US venue is a genuinely significant financial and logistical decision for everyone involved

[Grim Tracey]

Worth remembering how many times boxing negotiations like this have collapsed and then miraculously come back together once the actual money and venue details finally get sorted out properly