Fury Calls Joshua a 'Warm-Up' and Wants Usyk III on US Soil

Tyson Fury hasn't even signed off on the December date with Anthony Joshua and he's already talking past it. Speaking on his FurociTV channel, the 38-year-old Fury (36-2-1, 25 KO) called Joshua a 'heavy bag' and a 'warm-up,' insisting his actual goal is a trilogy with Oleksandr Usyk on American soil before March next year.

The Fury-Joshua fight is scheduled for December, roughly 10 weeks out, with a London press conference set for Wednesday to formalize a matchup that's been talked about for the better part of a decade. Joshua (29-4, 26 KO) comes in off a sixth-round knockout of Jake Paul. Fury last worked in a seventh-round retirement win over Mariusz Wach.

Fury's language wasn't subtle. He said he'll cut through Joshua 'like a hot knife through butter,' then move straight on to Usyk, whom he mockingly called Joshua's 'sensei.' The tell here is the venue: Fury made a point of wanting Usyk in the States, arguing he'd finally get a fair decision there after dropping both prior fights to the Ukrainian.

The Scoring Grudge

That's the real story underneath the trash talk. Fury still believes he won the first two Usyk fights on merit, and his insistence on American judges reads like a man who thinks geography cost him. Usyk (25-0, 16 KO) doesn't share that view — he's beaten Fury twice and hasn't lost as a professional, currently sitting as lineal heavyweight champion after a TKO of Rico Verhoeven.

There's a complication Fury glossed over. Usyk vacated his three heavyweight belts earlier this year, and at 39 he's been linked to a farewell fight against Deontay Wilder (45-4-1, 43 KO). If that lands, Fury's grand trilogy plan gets shoved down the queue — or off the table entirely.

For now, the smart move is to keep one eye on December and ignore the March fantasy. Joshua carries a 26-KO résumé and knockout power that Fury has felt from other big punchers before. Calling an opponent a warm-up before the deal is even inked is a fine way to sell tickets. It's a lousy way to prepare for a heavyweight who hits like Joshua does.