Matchroom Sport chairman Eddie Hearn says two specific clauses in the Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury contract make it legally impossible for Dana White and Zuffa Boxing to play any role in promoting boxing’s biggest fight.
The Matchroom Sport chairman revealed the contract language while flatly rejecting White’s claim that he will be the lead promoter for the heavyweight showdown.
Speaking to ESPN on Thursday, Hearn said he negotiated the deal directly with Saudi backers SELA and Turki Alalshikh over a three-month span, and that White has no insight into its terms.
His boxing business is so dead that he’s trying to find a way to be relevant and part of the biggest fight in boxing, which is Joshua vs. Fury,” Hearn told ESPN.
I negotiated the fight contract three months with SELA and Turki Alalshikh. Dana White has no clue what is in that contract. No. 1, Dana White, TKO, Zuffa can have no promotional involvement in that show at all. He also doesn’t know about the other clause that was put in the contract that says Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury must take place in the UK.
White’s Lead-Promoter Claim
White, the UFC CEO and founder of Zuffa Boxing, made the claim at a news conference on Saturday, saying Hearn had no hand in negotiating the Joshua-Fury contract and that he already knew where the fight would land despite no announcement.
Call Eddie right now and ask him where the fight is,” White said. “Call Eddie and ask who negotiated the contract for the fight. It wasn’t him.
Hearn, who promotes Joshua, called White “absolutely clueless” and described the claims as bizarre and reeking of desperation.
November UK Target
No date or venue has been confirmed, but Hearn told ESPN the bout is targeted for November at a UK venue, most likely Wembley Stadium, provided both heavyweights win their next outings.
Joshua faces Kristian Prenga on July 25, while Fury is reportedly taking an interim fight later this summer.
The Hearn-White Feud Escalates
The dispute is the latest chapter in an ongoing war of words between the two executives, who have clashed publicly since White launched Zuffa Boxing earlier this year. Tensions spiked when Zuffa Boxing signed British boxer Conor Benn, whom Hearn had promoted from his pro debut.
Speculation about a Benn vs. Ryan Garcia bout for September on Paramount+ hit a wall this week when Golden Boy Promotions, Garcia’s promoter, issued a cease-and-desist to Zuffa Boxing and TKO Group over interference with their fighter.
Hearn told ESPN that DAZN, which holds an exclusive contract with Garcia, also sent White a cease-and-desist “to tell him to stop interfering with Ryan.”