Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has threatened legal action against Zuffa Boxing chief Dana White over his alleged involvement in arrangements for the proposed Anthony Joshua-Tyson Fury blockbuster.
Hearn accused White of wrongly presenting himself as having the authority to stage the highly anticipated bout and of using Joshua to negotiate a venue agreement without the necessary rights.
The dispute is the latest development in the increasingly heated rivalry between the two boxing promoters.
Their relationship has deteriorated since White entered the boxing business with Zuffa Boxing, while Hearn has also expanded his management interests into mixed martial arts.
The disagreement has now focused heavily on the Joshua-Fury fight, with White previously describing himself as the promoter of the contest. Hearn, however, has rejected that claim.
Reacting to reports that the fight could be announced for November at Madison Square Garden in New York, Hearn told About Boxing that White had no authority to negotiate such an arrangement.
“Actually, I should be suing Dana White, because what he’s doing is, he’s actually purporting to have the ability to stage the fight there, and he’s using my client to do a venue deal that he has no rights to,” Hearn said.
Hearn also revealed that TKO, the parent company of UFC and Zuffa Boxing, had contacted him about becoming involved in the event.
He said he would only consider the proposal if it offered clear benefits to Joshua, Matchroom and his fighters.
“The reality is, now, TKO are coming on, asking me if they can be involved. So Dana White’s gone from being the promoter of the event to asking if he can be involved. Why should I let you be involved in this event? Tell me how it benefits Anthony Joshua. Tell me how it benefits Matchroom. Tell me how it benefits my fighters,” Hearn said.
On the proposed fight itself, Hearn confirmed that agreements had been signed by both camps, although Fury’s team has requested alterations to the existing contract.
“To be honest, all I can really tell you is we’ve signed for the fight. Obviously, they want to change the contract that we signed, which we don’t like to do. But we also understand that these guys are our partners, and it seems like everybody is adamant that the fight takes place in New York.
“Tyson Fury has agreed to do the fight in America, and we haven’t at the moment. So, we’re talking through a roadmap of what that might look like to change the deal. And if they do all the things that we’ve discussed and agreed in principle, then I think there is a very good chance that the fight will happen in America,” Hearn said.
White has, however, dismissed Hearn’s accusations, maintaining that he no longer pays attention to his rival’s comments.
“I have not. I stopped listening to Eddie Hearn about three months ago. Is there anybody more full of shit than this guy? Come on. Completely full of shit,” White said.
White had earlier acknowledged that his role in the Joshua-Fury negotiations was largely connected to television and venue arrangements.
He also questioned whether both fighters remained fully committed to the contest, arguing that the bout should have happened years ago.
Joshua and Fury signed agreements to meet earlier this year, but an official date and venue have yet to be announced.
Reports indicate that Netflix, which is expected to broadcast the fight, is pushing for New York to host the contest on November 20. Joshua and Hearn, meanwhile, have continued to favour staging the long-awaited heavyweight showdown in the United Kingdom.
