The Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury fight sits in greater doubt after Dana White publicly clashed with reporters in London, highlighting contradictory claims about whether he will play a role in the bout. Eddie Hearn has said a clause in Joshua's contract bars White from involvement, while Netflix has confirmed White will be involved alongside Turki Alalshikh, leaving the match's status unresolved.
White was in town to promote Johnny Fisher's Zuffa Boxing debut, a razor-close Majority Decision win over Michael Pirotton, and met the British boxing media at the post-fight press conference. Questions about the heavyweight showdown came to dominate the session, and tensions rose when Jack Figg of The Sun pressed White on Eddie Hearn's assertion that White would be excluded from the fight.
White initially dismissed the line with, "Eddie Hearn says lots of things," then grew more confrontational as Figg continued. Asked why Hearn's tone had changed around "messing" with fighters' contracts, White challenged the reporter with, "are you trying to sign Anthony Joshua?" He added his familiar retort, "Eddie Hearn is full of s---," without clarifying the target or specifics of the complaint.
Figg asked if White would voluntarily step away to secure the fight, and White replied that such a decision "wasn't up to him." When Figg suggested the choice might fall to Turki Alalshikh, White snapped, "I know what you're doing, you're leading questions and you f---ing know." He continued by questioning Figg's familiarity with boxing, saying, "Oh really did you just get here? Welcome to boxing, what did you just f---ing walk in from across the street with your cellphone and you don't know anything about the sport or what's going on?" and asking whether the reporter had any relevant questions for the evening.
The exchange underscored a public split between the parties shaping the proposed fight: Hearn's contractual claim that White is excluded, and Netflix's statement that White will be involved alongside Turki Alalshikh. With those positions unresolved and White visibly irritated by the line of questioning, the matchup's future is uncertain until the contractual language and promoter roles are clarified by the principals involved.
