Oleksandr Usyk’s manager has dismissed Tyson Fury’s call for a third fight with the Ukrainian amid lingering doubts over an all-British heavyweight showdown with Anthony Joshua.
With protracted negotiations for a much-anticipated Fury-Joshua rematch stalled by a dispute over where the fight would take place, Fury took to social media on Monday to say he was looking for a new opponent.
Fury said he wants a third fight with Usyk, who became the undisputed heavyweight champion after beating Fury twice on points in 2024.
Responding to Fury’s comments in a statement provided to Sky Sports News On Monday night, Usyk’s manager Sergey Lapin said: “Usyk is not Tyson’s backup plan.
“If Fury needs an opponent, he has to visit him Platform ready to fight. They can help him find a worthy opponent there.
“Oleksandr is always open to big challenges. But serious goals are supported by a concrete offer, not by statements in the press.”
Usyk announced in June that he was vacating the three heavyweight belts he still held at the time, but the 39-year-old said he was not retiring just yet and has recently been linked with a fight against Deontay Wilder.
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Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has called for Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury to fight in London.
Usyk, who holds a perfect 25-0 professional record, claimed back-to-back victories over Joshua in 2021 and 2022 but has become part of the Briton’s training team over the past year.
Both Joshua and Fury have signed individual contracts for what was planned to be a November bout, but have yet to agree where the fight will take place, with speculation suggesting it could take place in New York City.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn says he and his fighter want the contest to take place in London, while Fury says his rival is trying to avoid a fight that has been more than a decade in the making.
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Eddie Hearn has claimed that Anthony Joshua feels a responsibility to UK fight fans that AJ vs Fury should take place in the UK.
“It’s only going to lead me to a fight with Oleksandr Usyk,” Fury said in a video posted on Instagram.
“Oleksandr, you are his (Joshua’s) trainer and his sensei and you know that he is weak-minded… and that he would never fight the Gypsy King, which you had the audacity to do twice.
“You made the decisions last time, fair play to you. Good luck to you, let’s do it again. Let’s take it back to 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 now I’m looking for a new opponent.”
