By Dorcas Francis Koji
Zuffa Boxing boss Dana White has raised fresh doubts over the highly anticipated Anthony Joshua-Tyson Fury heavyweight showdown, saying the fight should have taken place a decade ago and questioning whether both fighters remain fully committed to making the bout happen.
Joshua and Fury signed agreements earlier this year to meet in one of the biggest all-British heavyweight fights in recent history. However, the contest is yet to have an officially confirmed date and venue, with disagreement over where the fight should take place threatening to prolong the saga.
According to reports, Netflix, which is expected to broadcast the fight, wants the bout staged in New York on November 20, while Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn are pushing for the contest to be held in the United Kingdom in line with the terms of their agreement.
White revealed after UFC 330 that his involvement had largely centred on securing the broadcast and venue arrangements.
“We did the television deal and the venue deal,” White said, highlighting the location as the major unresolved issue.
Joshua, who has a professional record of 30 wins, four defeats and 27 knockouts, reportedly signed an agreement requiring the fight to take place in the United Kingdom.
Fury, whose record stands at 36 wins, two defeats and one draw with 25 knockouts, did not include the same stipulation, leaving room for the proposed contest to be staged in the United States.
Financier Turki Alalshikh and Netflix are reportedly favouring the United States, with Madison Square Garden in New York emerging as the preferred venue.
Joshua and Hearn, however, remain keen to stage the fight on British soil.
Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, has warned that the disagreement could ultimately prevent the contest from going ahead.
“They’ve got their contract, Tyson’s got his agreement, which states something different,” Warren told BoxNation.
“The fight will happen. I’ve heard what Eddie’s said, and they’re either going to agree to it, fighting in the United States, or not. If they don’t agree to it, the fight will not happen.”
Warren also revealed that Fury signed his agreement in January, with the fight initially targeted for September.
Plans for a warm-up bout were later disrupted following a tragic accident involving Joshua in which he lost two close friends, contributing to the postponement of the proposed heavyweight clash.
The fight is now expected to take place in November, although the final venue remains unresolved.
For White, the prolonged negotiations have become increasingly frustrating.
“Listen, this saga, we’ll see how this whole thing plays out. I mean, they either want to fight or they don’t,” he said.
“To make a fight, two guys have to want to fight. Period. End of story. Contracts and this and that, there’s a lot of money at stake in this fight. Do you want to fight or do you not want to fight?”
White believes the heavyweight blockbuster has arrived much later than it should have.
“The fight should have happened 10 years ago. Is it going to happen now? We’ll see,” he added.
With the venue dispute still unresolved, the future of the Joshua-Fury showdown remains uncertain, leaving boxing fans waiting for confirmation that one of the sport’s most anticipated heavyweight encounters will finally become a reality.
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