Tyson Fury Says Joshua Fight Is in Peril Over Promotion Dispute
The highly anticipated boxing match between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua is reportedly in jeopardy, just days after its official announcement. Tyson Fury launched a social media tirade, accusing Eddie Hearn's ego and Anthony Joshua of attempting to withdraw from the December 11 bout. Meanwhile, Hearn is strongly disputing Dana White's promotional involvement, citing contractual disagreements.
The long-awaited Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua fight is already facing uncertainty just days after being announced, with Fury accusing Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn of trying to pull out of the December 11 bout.
The fight was officially announced last week, with a press conference planned for London ahead of the heavyweight clash. But a dispute over who will be involved in promoting the event has now created another obstacle.
Fury took to social media to accuse Hearn of trying to derail the fight, blaming what he described as the promoter's ego and claiming Joshua was also attempting to withdraw. Those claims have not been confirmed by Joshua or Hearn.
There has been no official announcement that the fight is cancelled.
Why Dana White Has Become the Problem
The dispute centres on the involvement of Dana White and Zuffa Boxing.
Hearn has objected to White's role in promoting the event, saying Joshua's agreement does not allow him to be involved. A promotional announcement, however, identified the event as a partnership involving Turki Alalshikh, The Ring and White.
Hearn said this conflicted with what he understood to have been agreed with Alalshikh and Sela, the Saudi entertainment company involved in the event.
“Dana White cannot be involved with this fight promotion,” Hearn said.
Hearn also said Netflix's announcement had created further confusion because it referred to the event as being promoted in conjunction with White.
The Fight Is Still Scheduled
For now, Fury and Joshua remain scheduled to meet on December 11, but the promotional disagreement needs to be resolved before the event can move ahead smoothly.
The bout has been years in the making. Both fighters have held world heavyweight titles, but repeated negotiations and changes in their careers prevented them from meeting in the ring.
Fury's latest comments have added another layer of uncertainty, but they should not be treated as confirmation that Joshua has withdrawn.
Hearn's position is that he is standing by the contractual terms agreed for the fight. Matchroom, his promotional company, declined to comment when contacted by ESPN.
The immediate issue, therefore, is not whether Fury and Joshua want the fight. It is who is permitted to promote it and under what terms.
Until that disagreement is settled, the December 11 date remains surrounded by uncertainty.