Eddie Hearn says Dana White has no right to use Anthony Joshua while pushing a possible Tyson Fury fight at Madison Square Garden, turning the latest heavyweight negotiation update into another public clash between boxing and Zuffa.
Hearn said Joshua’s side has signed for the fight, but he pushed back on the idea that White can speak as the promoter or use Joshua to secure a New York venue deal. White recently said he doubts Fury vs. Joshua will happen, and this is the sharpest response yet from Joshua’s promoter.
“Actually, I should be suing Dana White, because what he’s doing is, he’s actually purporting to have the ability to stage the fight there, and he’s using my client to do a venue deal that he has no rights to,” Hearn told About Boxing.
Hearn Questions White’s Fury-Joshua Role
Hearn said TKO has gone from claiming control of the event to asking whether it can be involved. He said he is not closing that door, but only if it benefits Joshua, Matchroom, and the fighters tied to his side of the business.
“The reality is, now, TKO are coming on, asking me if they can be involved,” Hearn said. “So Dana White’s gone from being the promoter of the event to asking if he can be involved. And rather than going, ‘Fuck off!’ I’m saying, why? Why should I let you be involved in this event? Break it down for me. Tell me how it benefits Anthony Joshua. Tell me how it benefits Matchroom. Tell me how it benefits my fighters. What do you want to do? Do you want to do Matchroom vs. Zuffa 5 v. 5 on the undercard? OK, if it gives my fighters an opportunity.”
“It’s like I said to them, ‘I’ll tell you what, let me promote WrestleMania.’ Because this is my WrestleMania. And absolutely not, unless you can give me reasons why. … Why? Why should we? Business is business. And if it makes sense for AJ, and maybe Matchroom, and some of our fighters, I’m up for a chat. And listen, we may get there.”
Hearn also clarified where the deal stands from Joshua’s side. He said Fury has agreed to fight in America, while Joshua’s team is still discussing what would have to change for the bout to move there.
“To be honest, all I can really tell you is we’ve signed for the fight,” Hearn said. “Obviously, they want to change the contract that we signed, which we don’t like to do. It’s not something that we do as a company. But we also understand that these guys are our partners, and it seems like everybody is adamant that the fight takes place in New York.”
“Tyson Fury has agreed to do the fight in America, and we haven’t at the moment,” Hearn said. “So, we’re talking through a roadmap of what that might look like to change the deal. And if they do all the things that we’ve discussed and agreed in principle, then I think there is a very good chance that the fight will happen in America.”
White was asked about Hearn after Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series event. He dismissed Hearn’s version of events and said he is no longer listening to the Matchroom promoter.
“I have not. I stopped listening to Eddie Hearn about three months ago,” White said. “Is there anybody more full of shit than this guy? Come on. Completely full of shit.”
The fight remains one of boxing’s biggest possible events, but the public arguments now sit alongside the contract and venue questions. Reports had Joshua and Fury signed for a Nov. 20 MSG fight with WBC support, while Hearn is making clear that Joshua’s side has not approved every proposed change.
White and Hearn have already traded shots through Zuffa Boxing, Matchroom, and Tom Aspinall’s management move. Hearn has also said White had a possible $30 million payday if they ever boxed, but this dispute is now tied to a much bigger heavyweight fight.
