UFC president Dana White has joined Tyson Fury in questioning whether the fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury will happen. He admitted he does not know if the fight will go ahead as planned. This comes amid a growing disagreement with Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.
Fury and Joshua are set to meet at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on December 11. But now, the long-awaited fight is uncertain due to issues with its promotion.
White, who runs Zuffa Boxing with Saudi boxing figure Turki Alalshikh, is seen as the main promoter for the event. However, Hearn claims Joshua's agreement stops him from being involved.
"I don’t know. The guy who is supposed to be helping the fight has been hurting the fight the entire time. He hasn’t done the fight any favours," White said, as reported by the Daily Mail. He also criticized Hearn personally.
When asked if he would step aside to ensure the fight happens, White said that decision wasn't his to make. "That’s not up to me," he stated.
He called the situation a mess and said more updates would come in the next three or four days.
Fury has also spoken against Hearn and Joshua, claiming he has agreed to everything needed to make the fight happen. "There’s nothing that I haven’t agreed to. Nothing. I’ll even tie concrete blocks to my boots to make this fight happen," Fury said, according to FurociTV and Sherdog.
He credited Alalshikh and Netflix for funding the fight and argued that Matchroom Boxing cannot control the promotional setup.
The fight was announced last Thursday, ending years of stalled talks. It is a partnership between Alalshikh’s The Ring and White and will be shown on Netflix. This deal has become a point of contention.
Hearn has been at odds with White for months. He says White's involvement breaks their contract. "Dana White cannot be involved with this fight promotion. Netflix clearly did not get the memo. No one talks to each other," Hearn told IFL TV.
Fury's promoter, Frank Warren, said White helped secure the Netflix deal. Fury accused Hearn and Joshua of trying to back out of the fight. "It is mainly to do with Eddie Hearn’s ego. He is making up a million different things and threatening that we are not going to fight," Fury posted on Instagram.
This latest disagreement comes just days before both fighters are expected to be at a press conference in London on September 30. With less than 11 weeks until the fight, Fury has suggested he could find another opponent if Joshua pulls out.
The fight has faced many setbacks since 2020 when both sides first agreed to a two-fight deal. Contracts for an undisputed title fight were signed in 2021, but Deontay Wilder's arbitration led Fury to a third fight with Wilder. A 2022 attempt, where Joshua accepted a 60-40 split, also fell apart. Finally, they signed for Cardiff earlier this year.
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