Just two days after the official announcement of the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua fight, Dana White, the head of Zuffa Boxing, revealed that he is now uncertain whether the bout will actually take place. The heavyweight matchup was confirmed on Thursday following months of negotiations about the venue, which could have been New York City, a location in Britain, or potentially not happening at all.
Earlier in the week, White expressed excitement, calling Fury (36-2-1, 25 KOs) and Joshua (30-4, 27 KOs) “two of the biggest heavyweights of this generation” and stated that the victor would secure a historic place in heavyweight boxing. It was also expected that the WBA “Super” heavyweight world title would be on the line.
However, within days, the event faced major uncertainty due to conflicts surrounding White’s role as a promoter. Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s longtime promoter at Matchroom, insists that White is contractually barred from promoting the fight. Fury, on the other hand, claims he removed a similar restriction from his contract to allow White’s involvement.
This disagreement has been ongoing, with Hearn and White publicly clashing over promotional rights for several months. Hearn insists that the terms of Joshua’s contract have not changed.
After Johnny Fisher’s majority decision win over Michael Pirotton at the Zuffa Boxing 11 event in London on Saturday, a clearly frustrated White admitted he had “no idea” if the planned Fury-Joshua press conference on Wednesday would proceed, or if the fight itself would still occur in December. White remained firm that his role as promoter was unchanged, stating, “It’s the same as it was yesterday and the day before that.”
When asked if he would step aside if his involvement posed a threat to the fight, White bluntly replied, “That’s not up to me. I’m involved in the f***ing fight.”
As UK reporters pressed him about the status of the fight and his promotional role, White grew increasingly irritable, swearing at the media and targeting Hearn. He accused Hearn of consistently undermining the fight, saying, “I don’t know if I’ve ever known anybody more full of s*** than Eddie Hearn.” He added that despite Hearn and Joshua standing to make a lot of money, they were the ones damaging the event.
White addressed comments from Zuffa commentator Max Kellerman suggesting that the UFC president was involved more on a personal basis with Turki Alalshikh rather than as a promoter, calling the notion “weird.” He also denied rumors about Manny Pacquiao returning to fight Zuffa signee Shakur Stevenson but mentioned that a possible bout between Keyshawn Davis and Richardson Hitchins could be added—if the event moves forward.
White concluded by saying he expected more clarity within three or four days but described the situation as, “a whole s*** show right now.”
Fan Take: This turmoil surrounding Fury vs. Joshua highlights just how complicated and fragile mega-fight negotiations can be, even when fans are eagerly anticipating the event. For fight fans, the uncertainty is frustrating but also underscores the crucial role promoters and contracts play in shaping the sport’s biggest moments.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
