Dana White continues to insist that he will be involved in the upcoming Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury fight, while Joshua’s manager Eddie Hearn continues to insist that he will not.
So far, it looks like Hearn is sharing more than just a jab when it comes to his remarks. Early on, he shared a key fact: that Joshua had a signed contract which claimed Fury’s fight was taking place in the UK and that UFC parent company TKO had nothing to do with the fight.
Dana White had a different vision of the fight: one where the TKO was the main promoter and the fight was fought at Madison Square Garden. A battle in the media and behind the scenes ensued, and lo and behold: the fight ended at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
Okay, fine. Good for Eddie and Anthony. Now, White says he still produces the event for television. Now that wouldn’t be the worst thing: UFC broadcasts are a well-oiled machine compared to meandering boxing shows that go on too long. But Eddie Hearn says that won’t happen either.
“Under our contract, he can’t,” Hearn said. “That’s where we stand on this. And (Saudi Arabian event promoter) Sela has assured us in writing that Dana White and the UFC will not be producing for this show.”
“Whisper, the production company that did the Fury/Makhmudov production has signed on to produce Fury AJ on Netflix. So look at the production… if they want to talk to us about changing the production deal, I’m open to the conversation. Show me what that looks like.”
“I don’t care at all, I won our battle,” he continued. “And the main battle was don’t let this fight happen in America. Don’t take the fight away from the British fight fans. And we won. The main battle was (White) thinking he’s the main promoter, now he’s saying, ‘We’re getting a lot of promotion and I’m doing an Instagram post, so of course I’m promoting.’ That’s weak as f–k.
“So I’m not too bothered. I’m focused on the fight. Of course we’ll stay where we are under the contract, but that’s about it.”
Hearn is having a great time here because he knows he’s contractually obligated to allow Dana White and TKO in Fury Vs. Joshua in the fight. Something he’s willing to do if there’s enough concessions and probably some wiggle room from the TKO. Does TKO do it? Or they try to wedge themselves in and sue? Find out next week on “As The Fury Vs. AJ turns.
