What to Know
- For those following every episode of the reality TV show known as Fury vs Joshua: Promoter’s Edition, Dana White spoke his piece at the Zuffa Boxing 11 post-fight presser.
- White and Matchroom Sport chairman Eddie Hearn remain at odds over the fight promotion despite a locked-in venue and date.
- The next date on the calendar is a (maybe) scheduled fight press conference on Wednesday, September 30.
The ongoing squabble over the British heavyweight showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua proves one of boxing’s few unquestioned truths: Never make nonrefundable travel plans.
After Netflix officially announced that Fury vs Joshua was set for Friday, December 11, at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, boxing fans felt they could finally exhale and look forward to the fight and the event.
Alas, it isn’t that easy as Fury vs Joshua Promotergate continues over the respective roles of Matchroom Sport chairman Eddie Hearn and Zuffa Boxing/UFC president Dana White.
As he stood firm about the location of the fight taking place in the United Kingdom per the original contract signed by Joshua and Hearn, Hearn is also standing his ground that he would not move forward if Dana White was in any way involved in the event promotion.
As White prepared for Saturday’s Zuffa Boxing 11 card in London, he was relatively quiet over the last few days. At the final pre-fight news conference on Thursday, questions posed to Chief Operating Officer Harrison Whitman were deferred until White could answer them directly on Saturday.
Hear It From The Horse’s Mouth: Dana White Has His Say
For those who don’t know Whitman’s background, he is an attorney who previously worked as Top Rank’s chief counsel during periods involving high-profile fights and fighters like Tyson Fury, and has a background with Probellum.
Until then, the only direct statement came during the broadcast by broadcaster Max Kellerman, who said the following: “Dana White’s involvement in the fight, so people know, is purely in assisting Turki Alalshikh, who has been the engine behind just about every big fight in boxing over the last handful of years, he’s assisting Turki in a personal capacity, not as a promoter.”
As a result, White was bombarded by the British media after the conclusion of the card. For those engrossed in the situation, it’s worth hearing from White directly – including his statement that he had no idea what Kellerman was talking about. “Yeah, I don’t know where that came from. Yeah, that was weird,” said White.
Dana White Sticks to His Guns
White’s exasperation with the circumstances were plain for all to see. With the first question coming about his role in Fury vs Joshua, White got rolling.
“Have I not answered this question 257,000 times? Same as it was yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that,” said White. Nevertheless, he continued to answer questions even as he chewed out several reporters in the process.
Did White think Fury vs Joshua will still happen in December?
“That I don’t know. That I don’t know,” said White. “The guy who’s supposed to be helping the fight has been hurting the fight the entire time. He hasn’t done the fight any favors, let’s put it that way. But we’ll see,” evidently referring to Hearn.
“What I’ve said 150,000 times. I don’t know if I’ve ever known anybody who’s more full of fucking shit than Eddie Hearn. I’m done. When, who, whatever, this guy is full of fucking shit. I’ve been saying the same thing since way back when, and here we are!” said an exasperated White.
Pressed as to whether he would step aside if it meant preserving the fight taking place, White said, “Well, that’s not up to me. That’s not up to me. I’m involved in the fucking fight.”
Dana White’s Patience Wearing Thin
Who is it up to?
This is where White lost his composure, saying it was a leading question and the reporter was clearly aware. “Hi, welcome to boxing! What, did you just fucking walk in from across the street with your cellphone, and you don’t know anything about this sport or what’s going on, and who the fuck are you, and how’d you end up in this?”
The outburst stalled questions for a few seconds, but the follow-up question was about what the fans should think.
“I don’t know. We’ll see how this thing plays. Listen, Eddie Hearn will probably do 652,000 interviews in the next three hours, so I’m sure he’ll answer a lot of those questions for you,” said White.
“If Eddie Hearn really cared about this fucking fight, first of all, that fight would happen fucking a long time ago, number one.
“Number two, he could finance the thing himself. I mean, I said this a million times: finance the fight yourself, fucking sell tickets, cut a TV deal, and sell the fight,” spat White.
White did answer two substantive questions about the card. First, he dispelled any rumors about a Manny Pacquiao vs Shakur Stevenson fight, but said a Keyshawn Davis vs Richardson Hitchens showdown was “more likely.”
But who are we kidding? Those tidbits got buried by the ongoing mess.
“Listen, this thing’s a whole shit show right now. We’ll know. We’ll all know a lot more in the next, you know, three four days. See how this thing plays out,” said White, who added that he has no idea whether the planned Wednesday news conference will take place, and if so, whether he would attend. “I’ll leave that as a surprise,” said White.
“I’m tired of it. It’s pretty crazy,” continued White. “The guy who is actually heavily invested in this fight, and he and his client are supposed to make a shitload of money off this fight, is the one who is hurting it. Its crazy. If the fight happens, and the fans believe the fight’s going to happen, and that both guys are gonna show up, the fans will show up.
“We’re trying to build back this trust with boxing fans again, and this one isn’t making it easy,” said White. Whichever side of the fence you’re on, this statement rings true.
Existential Fight for the Soul of Boxing
Whatever is said or not said over the next week, or what came before this, the argument between Eddie Hearn and Dana White isn’t about the location of a fight or even whose name is cited as the card’s promoter.
This is nothing less than an existential battle for the soul of boxing. For the promoters who see the incursion by Dana White and Zuffa Boxing, bankrolled by Middle Eastern money and a wealthy soon-to-be media partner in the Ellison family and Paramount-Plus, they fear White wiping them out as he wiped out his competitors in the mixed martial arts space.
White, who has the ear of President Donald Trump and a Republican-controlled Congress that knows little about boxing in the United States, has a business model that works. It works because he insists on controlling every aspect of the operation. There are no athlete unions in combat sports as there are in baseball where a players’ union is likely to strike next season, or in the NFL or NBA.
The remaining promoters have gladly accepted financing from the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, which puts them now in a tough spot. Fans exasperated over the last 15 years by the inability to stage the biggest fights due to promoter firewalls love seeing big fights made thanks to the huge purses dangled in front of boxing’s major stars. No one should blame the athletes. It’s a dangerous sport where careers can end at any moment. It’s called prizefighting for a reason.
But now White wants to import the monopoly model he has perfected through the UFC into boxing with Zuffa, aided by his friends in Washington, D.C., passing legislation making it possible. It has forced promoters to circle the wagons and work together. They should have done this long before 2026, but better late than never.
The sanctioning organizations are only now starting to wise up. They need to straighten up and clean up their act, or they will be the reason for the downfall of boxing’s competitive business landscape. Given the chance to fight for a championship or for a big paycheck, many fighters are opting for the paycheck. Again, it’s prizefighting. Principles are admirable, but they don’t feed your family.
The question now is whether fans really care when all they want is decent entertainment. Right now, fans are so tired of the arguing over a fight dangerously close to its “Sell By” Date expiring that they may not tolerate any more delays or uncertainty and be unwilling to spend their hard-earned dollars on a fight in doubt. Who can blame them?
FALKENTALK OPINION
Just a few weeks ago, Eddie Hearn staged the retirement fight for all-time great Katie Taylor, who is arguably the most impactful figure in women’s boxing. When her dream of ending her career at her hometown stadium, Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland, seemed to be fading, Hearn found a way to get it across the finish line.
It was the purest expression of all that is good about boxing. It was a privilege to be among the few Americans and the only U.S. journalist present with 83,000 fans in an atmosphere full of goodwill and admiration. Dublin police were prepared for anything, but the city was so crime-free they were left idle.
Contrast that with an earlier card on the White House lawn, with insults hurled at the former First Lady of the U.S. and a $30 million loss. Even White said he’d never do it again.
Whatever happens in boxing, if I end up going out with Katie Taylor, I will have no regrets.
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist with more than four dozen awards for both written and video coverage from the Boxing Writers Association of America, Society of Professional Journalists, and San Diego Press Club, where she is the past president. She is the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the BWAA. She is the Boxing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.
