Oleksandr Usyk’s cold rejection exposes Tyson Fury’s growing desperation

Oleksandr Usyk holds absolute psychological leverage over top British rivals

Despite reassurances that a fight between Fury and Joshua was meant to happen in November, Fury has recently said that the bout was no longer going to happen, prompting his former foe in Usyk to fight him instead.

In the video in which Tyson Fury addressed the situation, he says that Joshua has soiled his pants “yet again” after 11 years of contention.

Fury, who lost twice to Usyk, with the two fights being decisive victories for the 39 year-old Ukrainian boxer, hoped to meet with him once again in the ring. 

However, the Gypsy King refuses to acknowledge his losses, claiming his was “robbed” by judges and that a third fight was necessary.

Fury said in the video: “Let's run it back in November. The ball is now in your court, Oleksandr. Do you want to fight me this year, in 2026? Or are you calling it quits?”

Tyson Fury’s attempt to bait Oleksandr Usyk into a November trilogy fight after claiming his bout with Anthony Joshua fell through was swiftly dismantled by Usyk’s manager Sergey Lapin. 

Rather than taking the bait, Usyk's team relegated the former heavyweight champion to finding opponents on an app, emphasizing that Usyk is nobody's backup option. 

“Usyk is not Tyson’s backup plan,” said Lapin to Sky Sports News.

"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."

Usyk’s pivot to mentoring Joshua inside his camp completely neutralises Fury’s usual psychological games. 

The decision to join Joshua's training camp ahead of the November fight came after Usyk’s announcement to vacate his three heavyweight belts.

As it stands, it is unknown if a bout between Fury and Joshua will still happen, but with Usyk’s response being clear we can imagine that the Gypsy King will pull through in the November fight.