Eddie Hearn continues to reject Dana White’s involvement in Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua despite the fight being made official.
The two legendary British heavyweights finally clash in Cardiff on 11 December, with the mega fight diverted away from New York after lengthy negotiations, fronted by Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh.
Ahead of the announcement, much of the debate swirled around who would be the face of the promotion, with Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn maintaining Zuffa Boxing’s Dana White would not be involved due to the contracts signed.
Despite Netflix’s announcement detailing how White will be the promoter of the show alongside Alalshikh: “HE Turki Alalshikh’s The Ring and Dana White will collaborate to promote this historic showdown that will stream live on Netflix globally to its 325+ million members at no additional cost.
“The event will also feature a star-studded undercard with marquee fighters from around the world, further underscoring the global scale of the event. Undercard bouts will be announced at a later date.
Yet Hearn insists that is explicitly not the case and has been given the word of Sela and Alalshikh that the UFC chief will not be involved and told the Independent: “We expect the contracts to be honoured and unless we decide otherwise, Dana White cannot be involved in the fight.”
In addition to Hearn, promoter Frank Warren has also claimed White cannot be involved in the fight: "He's not [promoting Joshua vs Fury] because the contract with Tyson says that Zuffa will not be able to promote that fight. I don't know [where he has got that from]. Ask him. I mean, it is just b******."
The pair will come face to face at a press conference next Wednesday, 30 September, at British Airways Arc in London.
HE Turki Alalshikh added: “Two of the best heavyweights of this generation, finally in the ring together. This will be one of the biggest fights in boxing history, I am very happy to make this fight happen for the fans.”
While Dana White responded to the fight being made in a statement: “For more than a decade, boxing fans have been clamoring for the heavyweight showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Together, they bring 66 wins, 52 knockouts and multiple heavyweight world titles into the ring.
“On December 11, two of the biggest heavyweights of this generation finally collide– and the winner will take a significant place in heavyweight history.”
