JAKARTA - Oleksandr Usyk, the undisputed two-time heavyweight world champion, has narrowed the chances for a trilogy fight against Tyson Fury, who is one of the three duels he wants to carry out before deciding to retire.
The Ukrainian fighter said he would retire if Fury and Anthony Joshua (AJ) reached an agreement to fight in the ring, a match titled Battle of Britain that many boxing fans have been waiting for.
"If Tyson Fury (wants) a fight with Anthony Joshua then I (will) retire," Usyk said in a press conference in England, quoted by TalkSport.
AJ is scheduled to return to the ring in July 2026 as part of a two-fight deal with Turki Alalshikh's Riyadh Season. The Watford mainstay has not been in the ring since December 2025 when he beat Jake Paul.
He then was involved in a car accident in Nigeria a few weeks later that killed two of his best friends. The incident caused his career to be questioned before he was seen training in Ukraine with Usyk.
Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, said Fury and Joshua would meet this year. In addition, he also confirmed that AJ would first undergo a warm-up match.
"The deal we have received is to fight in July 2026 and then fight Tyson Fury in November 2026," Hearn said.
Usyk had previously included Fury's name on the list for his last three fights before retiring. The other two fights were against Rico Verhoeven and the winner of the duel Fabio Wardley versus Daniel Dubois.
Fury previously suffered two consecutive defeats against Usyk, so he decided to retire for 16 months. He then returned to the ring and won against Arslanbek Makhmudov at the weekend.
After the victory, he immediately challenged Joshua who was on the side of the ring. He asked Joshua to reach an agreement so that their fight could materialize.
The opportunity to clash with his fellow best British heavyweight fighter is now wide open. If it comes true, Fury's chance to avenge Usyk will shrink or even completely disappear.
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