Tyson Fury declares fight with Anthony Joshua off
Tyson Fury has declared that his blockbuster £250 million showdown with Anthony Joshua will not be happening, accusing his fellow Briton of losing his nerve after more than a decade of anticipation, reports BritPanorama.
The self-styled Gypsy King took to social media on Sunday evening to deliver the bombshell announcement, claiming negotiations had irretrievably broken down.
“AJ has s*** his pants again, yet again,” Fury told his followers. “After 11 years he has finally s*** his pants yet again.”
The two former heavyweight champions had been widely expected to finally meet in the ring this November in what would have been one of British boxing’s most lucrative encounters. Earlier in the week, Fury had branded Joshua a “coward” as his frustration with stalled talks mounted.
Joshua has yet to respond publicly to the allegations. The collapse centres on a bitter disagreement over where the bout should be staged. Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn have been adamant that the contest must take place on British soil, with Wembley Stadium their preferred venue.
On the opposing side, Sela — the Saudi state-owned promotional outfit bankrolling the event — favoured hosting it at New York’s iconic Madison Square Garden, seeking to capture a larger American audience through streaming partner Netflix. Both Fury and Joshua hold signed contracts specifying different locations, with Fury having agreed to fight in Ireland while Joshua’s deal stipulates the United Kingdom.
Hearn’s position has been unwavering. Speaking at Katie Taylor’s bout at Croke Park on Saturday night, he insisted: “What don’t you understand? I signed to fight in Britain. I want the fight in Britain.” Hearn further accused the TKO Group, the parent company of Zuffa Boxing, of attempting to circumvent him by approaching Joshua directly with a financial offer to stage the fight in America.
“Yesterday, TKO went around the back again to try and offer Joshua money to do the fight in America,” Hearn revealed. “It’s a dirty, dirty game. ‘You’ve got an hour and a half to make your decision.'” He confirmed preparations for legal proceedings against the organisation, claiming their involvement breached contractual terms.
With the Joshua bout seemingly dead in the water, Fury swiftly pivoted to a fresh challenge — calling out Oleksandr Usyk for a third meeting this autumn. The Ukrainian handed Fury both defeats on his professional record across two encounters in 2024, first claiming a split decision in Riyadh before sealing a unanimous verdict in their December rematch.
“Oleksandr, you’re his trainer and his sensei and you know he is a weak minded piece of s**t and that he would never fight the Gypsy King, which you have had the guts to do twice,” Fury said. “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.”
He added: “The ball is now in your court… do you want to fight me this year, 2026, or are you calling quits?” Fury briefly stepped away from the sport following his second loss to Usyk, convinced the judges had scored harshly against him. Nonetheless, he returned with two outings in 2026.
In April, he secured a unanimous decision over Arslanbek Makhmudov before forcing Mariusz Wach to retire in the seventh round of their July contest. Meanwhile, Joshua prepared for his most recent bouts alongside Team Usyk — a detail Fury pointedly referenced in his social media tirade.
Whether the long-awaited all-British heavyweight spectacle can yet be salvaged remains deeply uncertain. Hearn noted that growing public support for staging the fight on home turf had strengthened Joshua’s resolve, claiming conversations with Sela and London Mayor Sadiq Khan were now underway.
The next move belongs squarely to Joshua’s camp.
