Dana White was supposed to be celebrating a night of boxing in London. Instead, he spent Saturday answering questions about whether Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will actually meet in Cardiff on December 11. “I don’t know,” White said when asked if the fight would go ahead. Asked whether the fighters’ scheduled September 30 press conference would happen, he gave much the same answer: “I have no idea.”
That is a change in tone from Thursday, when the bout was formally announced after years of failed attempts to get the two British heavyweights into the same ring. Dana White was speaking after a Zuffa Boxing event at London’s Copper Box, where Johnny Fisher beat Michael Pirotton. The fight occupying the room, though, was two and a half months away. White called the Fury-Joshua situation a “s- show” and said the next “three, four days” should make things clearer.
The problem is White’s place in the promotion. Netflix’s announcement says Turki Alalshikh’s The Ring and White “will collaborate to promote” the event. Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, says Joshua’s contract prevents White and TKO from having a promotional role. Those contract terms have not been made public, and the disagreement remains unresolved. White was blunt about whom he blames.
Dana White Admits Fury-Joshua Is Uncertain While Defending His Place in the Fight
“The guy who is supposed to be helping the fight has been hurting the fight the entire time,” he said of Hearn. When asked if he would step aside to help the bout happen, White replied, “That’s not up to me. I’m involved in the fing fight.” He also challenged Hearn to finance the event himself if he wanted full control.
There was another wrinkle on Saturday’s Zuffa broadcast: White’s involvement was described as personal assistance to Alalshikh rather than a promoter’s role. White rejected that distinction afterward, saying he did not know where it had come from. He left open whether he would attend Wednesday’s press conference, telling reporters, “I guess I’ll leave that as a surprise.”
Fury had already turned up the heat. In an Instagram video, he accused Joshua and Hearn of “trying to pull out” and blamed Hearn’s objection to White. He also claimed Alalshikh was looking for another opponent, then posted a mock-up featuring light-heavyweight champion David Benavidez. Fury’s claims are not confirmation that Joshua has withdrawn or that a replacement fight has been agreed.
Hearn’s position is that the agreement must be honoured. He says Netflix’s wording named White despite the restriction in Joshua’s deal, telling iFL TV that the broadcaster “didn’t get the memo.” Fury, meanwhile, has said a similar restriction was removed from his own contract because he wanted White involved.
The two fighters may have signed up for the same bout, but their camps are giving different accounts of who can promote it. This time, Netflix still lists Fury-Joshua at Principality Stadium and says it will stream the bout globally at no extra cost to members. The undercard has yet to be announced; Wednesday’s London press conference remains on the calendar.
