Dana White has a role in Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua after all. The fight is official for Friday, December 11 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, and the announcement release says Turki Alalshikh’s The Ring and White will collaborate to promote it, live on Netflix.
That’s a partial win for the UFC boss after a month-long war of words with Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn. White didn’t get the fight in the United States, but he did get his name on the release and a quote in it.
“For more than a decade, boxing fans have been clamoring for the heavyweight showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua,” White said. “Together, they bring 66 wins, 52 knockouts and multiple heavyweight world titles into the ring.”
How White And Hearn Got Here
Sela and Netflix pushed for Madison Square Garden, and White said the fight should go where the money is. Hearn held firm that Joshua’s contract called for the UK and that Zuffa Boxing had no place in the deal. “No, or else there will be no fight and we’ll just keep going,” Hearn told reporters in Dublin earlier this month when asked about Zuffa’s involvement.
White fired back ahead of Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn, telling IFL TV he had “never seen somebody do more damage to a fight.” Asked who was promoting it, White said, “It’ll be me.”
Cardiff settled the venue. Wembley fell away over its curfew, and ring walks at the Principality are expected after midnight to reach the U.S. audience. White’s interest in the fight isn’t new, either. Fury turned up at UFC Freedom 250 in June.
Fury (36-2-1, 25 KOs) won twice this year, outpointing Arslanbek Makhmudov in April and stopping Mariusz Wach in July. Joshua (30-4, 27 KOs) knocked out Jake Paul last December and beat Kristian Prenga in July. Neither holds a world title.
Both men are scheduled for a press conference on Tuesday, September 30 at the British Airways Arc in London.
