Fury Calls Out Usyk After Joshua Venue Stalemate

Tyson Fury says he is hunting for a new opponent and has challenged Oleksandr Usyk after alleging Anthony Joshua is backing out of their contracted November heavyweight bout.

The BBC reports Fury posted a video on Instagram claiming Joshua was withdrawing from the fight, which has stalled over disagreement about the venue. Joshua wants Wembley Stadium while promoters and broadcaster Netflix reportedly favour Madison Square Garden in New York. Both fighters signed individual contracts with Saudi promoter Sela, though Joshua's deal stipulates the bout must happen in the UK.

Usyk Camp Demands Concrete Offer From Fury

"This will only lead me to a fight with Oleksandr Usyk," Fury said in the video, per the BBC. "Oleksandr you're his 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. Let's run it back in November." Usyk handed Fury two losses and now works with Joshua as part of his training team.

Sergey Lapin, Usyk's manager, told Sky Sports News his fighter "is not Tyson's back-up plan" and that serious intentions require a concrete offer, not press statements. Promoters Sela, Queensberry and Matchroom declined to comment when BBC Sport contacted them about whether talks had collapsed.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan publicly pushed for Wembley last week, telling the BBC his team would support a bout starting in the early hours to capture the American television market. The BBC reports Sela contacted the mayor's office about Wembley in recent weeks but has not advanced those discussions since last week.

Source: bbc.co.uk