Dana White Claims Promoter Role for Joshua vs Fury as Hearn Feud Heats Up
The UFC boss says he and his team are producing the December 11 megafight in Cardiff, adding tension with Eddie Hearn.
Dana White is inserting himself into the biggest boxing event of the year, and Eddie Hearn does not seem thrilled about it.
The UFC boss told BBC 5 Live this week that he considers himself "one of the promoters" of the December 11 heavyweight clash between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury at Cardiff's Principality Stadium. White went further in a separate interview, saying his team would handle production. "I'm producing the fight," White said. "Me and my team will be producing the fight that night."
The comments add fuel to an already combustible dynamic between White and Hearn. The formal promotional arrangements for Joshua vs Fury remain publicly unresolved, with White, Hearn and Frank Warren all jockeying for credit and control. White did credit Hearn with securing the Cardiff venue, but the concession came wrapped in the kind of backhanded respect these two have traded for years, per Boxing News 24.
The December 11 event has already generated massive commercial interest. The fight sold out the 80,000-seat Principality Stadium in under an hour, and projections suggest the gate could approach a record $34 million. A Deontay Wilder vs Jai Opetaia bout is in talks for the undercard.
But the promotional infighting risks distracting from the pay-per-view buildup that makes or breaks a fight of this scale. Some fans remain skeptical that Joshua and Fury, both past their prime years, still have enough left to justify the spectacle. The promotional bickering does nothing to quiet those doubts.
White's involvement in boxing has grown steadily since he began co-promoting events through a partnership with Fury's side. His exact contractual role for December 11 has not been publicly disclosed, but the fact that he is claiming the title of promoter suggests his involvement goes well beyond production logistics.
I live a few miles from the Vegas arenas and I have watched Dana White operate for 20 years. The guy does not call himself a promoter of something unless he is getting paid like one. So when he goes on the BBC and says he is one of the promoters, believe him.
The Eddie Hearn angle is hilarious. These two have been taking shots at each other forever, and now they have to work together on the same card. That is going to be entertaining all by itself. But the real question is whether the infighting distracts from the fight. Joshua and Fury need a clean buildup. They need people focused on the spectacle, not on which promoter is Big Man.
I still think this fight sells itself. 80,000 tickets gone in an hour tells you everything. But the PPV is where the real money is, and that takes a focused promotional push. Less ego, more highlight reels. Get it together, gentlemen.
