Fury vs Joshua Already in Jeopardy Over Promoter War
The Fury vs Joshua superfight is at risk just days after being announced, with Crawford vs Garcia reportedly being considered as a backup.
The Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua superfight, announced just two days ago for December 11 in Cardiff on Netflix, is already teetering on the edge of collapse.
According to ESPN's Mike Coppinger, the fight could be called off due to unresolved issues between the camps. A replacement bout between Terence Crawford and Ryan Garcia is reportedly being considered if the heavyweight showdown falls apart.
The core dispute centers on promotional roles. Saudi advisor Turki Alalshikh wants Dana White involved as a promoter, but Joshua's contract with Matchroom explicitly bars Zuffa Boxing from that position. Eddie Hearn, who promotes Joshua, has pushed back hard against White's involvement.
Fury fired back at Joshua and Hearn on Thursday, calling them "little shithouse cowards" and accusing them of trying to pull out. He said Hearn was making "a million different" demands and expressed frustration that a fight this massive could collapse over "who gets their logo on the backdrop," per Boxing News 24.
Fury also indicated that Alalshikh has alternative opponents ready if Joshua's side walks away. Meanwhile, there are questions about whether Crawford vs Garcia even makes sense. Crawford last fought at super middleweight (168 lbs), while Garcia holds the WBC welterweight title at 147 lbs, a significant size gap.
No contracts exist for a Crawford-Garcia bout at this stage. But the fact that a replacement is already being discussed tells you everything about how fragile this deal remains.
I'm not even a little bit surprised. We all knew this was too good to be true. You announce Fury vs Joshua on a Wednesday and by Thursday night the whole thing is in flames over a logo on a backdrop. That's boxing in 2026.
The promoter ego war is the real fight here. Hearn doesn't want White anywhere near this event because it makes Matchroom look like a guest at their own party. Fury's side doesn't care who gets credit as long as the check clears. And Alalshikh, the guy writing the checks, wants his guy Dana involved. Something has to give.
The Crawford vs Garcia backup is interesting but messy. Crawford at 168 fighting a welterweight champion? That's not a superfight, that's a size mismatch they're trying to dress up. If Fury-Joshua dies, just let it die. Don't rush a replacement onto Netflix that doesn't make sense. But knowing boxing, they'll figure out a way to fumble this into something even more chaotic.
