Tyson Fury dismisses Oleksandr Usyk's reason for refusing to face Moses Itauma: "Rubbish!"

Tyson Fury has publicly dismissed Oleksandr Usyk's reasoning for refusing to fight heavyweight prospect Moses Itauma, calling it 'rubbish.' Usyk, 39, is coming off a controversial 11th-round stoppage win over Rico Verhoeven on June 21, 2026, in which he trailed on one scorecard before the bout ended in dispute when Verhoeven was waved off after the bell. Usyk now faces a decision between vacating his WBC title to pursue a Verhoeven rematch or defending against WBC interim champion Agit Kabayel, with no interest expressed in facing Itauma.