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Dana White Calls Fury vs Joshua Promotion a 'Sh-tshow' as Feud Boils Over

The Fury-Joshua fight is barely announced and already tangled in a promoter war, with Dana White refusing to commit to the kickoff presser.

By FightSplit Editorial Team · Published Sep 27, 2026

Anthony Joshua stands in the ring during a heavyweight boxing event
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The fight fans have wanted for the better part of a decade finally has a name attached to it, and it's already threatening to fall apart. Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua was announced, then immediately dragged into a promoter turf war between Matchroom's Eddie Hearn and Zuffa boss Dana White — and Dana isn't hiding how he feels about the mess. He called the whole thing a sh-tshow and said everyone will know a lot more in the next three or four days.

The friction is simple on paper: Hearn insists White contractually can't be involved in promoting the bout, while financier Turki Alalshikh apparently wants exactly that. For Joshua, this is meant to be a defining chapter after a resurgent run — the 29-4 (26 KO) heavyweight is coming off a sixth-round knockout of Jake Paul, hardly elite opposition, but a headline-grabbing return nonetheless.

White's Jab at Hearn

White didn't bother with diplomacy. He suggested that if Hearn genuinely cared about making this fight, it would have happened long ago, and that Hearn could finance the event himself if he wanted to. Whether that's negotiating posture or genuine irritation, the message was clear: White thinks the delay sits on Matchroom's side of the ledger.

Fury, for his part, has already taken to social media to blast both Joshua and Hearn, accusing them of pulling out. That's a lot of noise for a fight that supposedly has a kickoff press conference scheduled for this week — a presser White pointedly refused to guarantee will actually go ahead.

What's Actually at Stake

This is the biggest domestic heavyweight event British boxing can offer, and the sport doesn't get many second chances at fights this size. The longer the promoter squabble runs, the more likely both men age out of their peak windows before a bell ever rings. Joshua at 29-4 still carries name value; Fury still moves numbers. But name value doesn't survive infinite delays.

Expect this to move fast. White himself flagged a three-to-four day window for clarity, and with Alalshikh's money in the picture, the balance of power may tilt quickly. Right now it's a standoff — and until someone blinks, the fight exists mostly on paper and in Twitter arguments.

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