An irate Tyson Fury stated on Saturday that his long-awaited ‘Battle of Britain’ showdown with Anthony Joshua, a fellow former world heavyweight champion, is now in jeopardy due to a dispute between their rival promoters.
The highly anticipated bout was revealed earlier this week, with Cardiff’s Principality Stadium scheduled to host what may become the richest fight in British boxing history on December 11.
Following months of talks that nearly derailed the fight when Fury demanded a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, Saudi Arabian boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh revealed the venue and date for the bout on Thursday.
The event, set to be shown on Netflix, was confirmed as a partnership between Alalshikh’s The Ring and UFC president Dana White.
However, Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, has been at odds with White and claims the UFC chief’s involvement amounts to a breach of contract.
Fury, though, thinks this is merely a pretext for Joshua to pull out.
“Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn are trying to pull out of this fight,” said Fury in an expletive-filled Instagram post. “They’re saying they’re not going to fight now.
“It’s mainly to do with Eddie Hearn’s ego. He’s making up a million different things and threatening, ‘We’re not going to fight, we’re not going to fight, we’re not going to fight.’ He’s cost us the biggest fight in boxing history. Clown… Eddie Hearn has cost us the biggest fight in boxing history.”
Since Zuffa Boxing launched earlier this year, Hearn has been in a feud with UFC president White.
In an interview with IFL TV, Hearn stated that White being involved in promoting the Fury and Joshua fight “ain’t happening.”
“Dana White cannot be involved with this fight promotion. Netflix clearly didn’t get the memo. No-one talks to each other,” said Hearn.
After more than ten years of anticipation, the matchup between the two former world champions has been plagued by repeated delays and disputes between the opposing camps.
Reports suggest the fight may be scheduled for the early hours of the morning UK time, aiming to accommodate television viewers in the United States.
In his most recent outing back in July, the 38-year-old Fury beat 46-year-old Mariusz Wach in Thailand.
Two months ago, 36-year-old Joshua overcame two first-round knockdowns to defeat the little-known Kristian Prenga in his last fight.
Out of 39 bouts, Fury has emerged victorious in 36, and over the course of his flamboyant career, he has held the WBC, WBO, and IBF heavyweight titles.
In 2024, the fighter who calls himself the ‘Gypsy King’ suffered two defeats at the hands of Usyk in world title fights.
Across 34 fights, Joshua has recorded 30 wins, claiming the WBO and IBF belts at different points before losing twice to Usyk in 2021 and 2022.
