Oleksandr Usyk Says Fury Trilogy Can Wait, Backs Joshua

Usyk rules out Fury discussion for now and keeps focus on Rico Verhoeven while offering brief view on a Fury vs Joshua fight

Oleksandr Usyk has shut down talk of a third fight with Tyson Fury. The heavyweight champion said his full attention is on his upcoming bout with Rico Verhoeven.

Asked about facing Fury again, Usyk dismissed the idea for now and kept his focus narrow.

“No, it’s not possible because my focus is on Rico, then we speak after the fight,” said Usyk to Ring Magazine.

The response leaves little room for interpretation. Despite ongoing interest in a third fight with Fury, Usyk is not entertaining anything beyond his May 23 bout against Rico Verhoeven. Fans are naturally overlooking the Rico fight, viewing it as a mismatch on DAZN PPV.

They want to see Usyk face the more established heavyweights in the division, which is why he’s being criticized for taking this fight.

While he avoided engaging with Fury’s future directly, Usyk did weigh in on a possible clash between Fury and Joshua. Having shared training time with Joshua, he pointed to what he has seen up close.

“We must do training. It’s a very smart prepare. But I think yes, it’s possible,” said Usyk. “I think it’s an undisputed future champion.”

The comments reflect a level of confidence in Joshua’s ability to compete with Fury, even after Fury’s recent return to the ring. Usyk noted he watched part of Fury’s last performance, offering brief praise but no deeper breakdown of what he saw.

The focus remains on Verhoeven, not a third fight against Fury or another one against Joshua. Usyk has kept his approach consistent in camp and has shown no sign of looking beyond the immediate assignment.

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