Tyson Fury has explosively claimed that he is searching for a new opponent as talks for his long-awaited showdown with Anthony Joshua have stalled.
It is a saga that has dragged on publicly now for months.
It appeared earlier this year that the stars had finally aligned for the two titans of British heavyweight boxing of the modern era to finally meet inside the ring.
Both Fury and Joshua got through their respective warmups in July, though the latter's proved to be far from straightforward as he was dropped twice in the opening round by the unheralded Kristian Prenga.
In the weeks since a major sticking point has emerged in the ongoing Fury vs Joshua talks, with the two camps disagreeing on where the fight should be staged.
Eddie Hearn and Joshua have remained resolute that arguably the biggest fight in the history of British boxing should naturally be staged in the UK, with a clause included in AJ's contract reportedly mandating as such.
However, Fury, Dana White and Turki Al-Sheikh favour holding the fight stateside, with streaming giant Netflix said to favour staging the blockbuster event in the US to maximise the potential revenue.
UK fight fans made their discontent regarding the plans heard on social media, and Fury has threatened to move on from talks amid the furore.
Fury calls out Oleksandr Usyk
In a video shared on social media Fury claimed Joshua was backing out of talks and instead turned his attention to a potential trilogy with former undisputed heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk.
"This will only lead me to a fight with Oleksandr Usyk," he said.
"Oleksandr you're his [Joshua's] 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.
"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. 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 I am now looking for a new opponent."
Fury suffered his first professional defeat at the hands of Usyk in May 2024 as the Ukrainian became the first man to hold all four major heavyweight belts since Lennox Lewis nearly a quarter of a century earlier.
When they rematched later that year Usyk again got the win on the judges' scorecards, maintaining his unbeaten record in the process.
After defeating Daniel Dubois for a second time, Usyk faced off against kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven earlier this year and was forced to battle through adversity before claiming an 11th-round stoppage in Giza, Egypt.
Following the fight Usyk relinquished his heavyweight titles and announced that he would pursue one final fight before hanging up his gloves, with a showdown against former WBC champion Deontay Wilder said to be his preferred option.
Will Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua still happen?
The latest developments have seemingly poured cold water over the possibility that Fury and Joshua could finally meet inside the ring.
It is important to note however, that no reports have emerged that talks have collapsed in spite of the latest spat.
It is in the best interest of all parties involved to come to terms, though it remains to be seen which side will yield regarding where the superfight will be staged.
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has repeatedly stated the fight should take place at Wembley Stadium, with the national stadium having hosted major fights in both boxers' careers.
If a compromise can be reached it would likely see the fight take place at the national stadium in the early hours of Saturday night in order to appease US broadcasters.
Such a scenario is not unprecedented when it comes to combat sports.
After Leon Edwards became just the second British fighter to hold UFC gold the promotion decided to stage his third title defence at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester.
However, in order to prevent PPV sales being impacted stateside the event was held on US time, with the welterweight tilt between Edwards and Belal Muhammad not getting underway until half past five in the morning in the UK.
