CARDIFF — Fury accused Joshua and promoter Eddie Hearn of attempting to withdraw from the agreement. “Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn are trying to pull out of this fight. They’re saying they’re not going to fight now,” he said in a social media post.

He attributed the potential cancellation to personal motivations rather than logistical issues. “It’s mainly to do with Eddie Hearn’s ego. He’s making up a million different things and threatening we’re not going to fight,” he said.

The dispute centers on the promotional role of Dana White, the president of Zuffa Boxing. Eddie Hearn stated that Dana White cannot be involved in the promotion of the Fury-Joshua fight. Hearn asserted that White’s involvement constitutes a breach of contract.

“Dana White cannot be involved with this fight promotion. Netflix clearly didn’t get the memo. No-one talks to each other. Then Netflix say the fight is in conjunction with Dana White. Now we have to go through that process and deal with it. It’s a little bit annoying but as I’ve shown through the UK battle that we won, we stand by our contracts,” Hearn said.

The fight agreement stipulated that the bout must take place in the UK and that Dana White must not be involved in the promotion. Frank Warren stated that Dana White was influential in securing the deal with Netflix for the fight. Turki Alalshikh is bankrolling the fight and is co-founder of Zuffa Boxing.

Fury criticized Hearn’s stance and suggested alternative opponents were being sought. “Now you’ve got Turki Alalshikh finding alternative real men who will fight at the drop of a hat. Eddie Hearn has cost us the biggest fight in boxing history,” he said.

Fury issued a lengthy statement containing offensive language directed at Hearn and Joshua. He used profanity to describe the promoter and the boxer, calling them cowards and criticizing their willingness to proceed with the match. Fury declared his intention to travel to Wales to compete regardless of the promotional conflict. The Gypsy King is coming back to the United Kingdom to thrash Joshua in front of fans in Wales, Fury wrote.

The official record of the event states that Tyson Fury (36-2-1, 25 KOs) and Anthony Joshua (30-4, 27 KOs) will meet on Friday, December 11 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, as confirmed by HE Turki Alalshikh’s The Ring and Dana White. The fight will be broadcast on Netflix. Dana White attempted to have the fight staged at Madison Square Garden in New York to benefit US streamers Netflix, who wanted the event during American primetime.

Principality Stadium has a capacity of approximately 73,000 to 80,000 seats. Transport for Wales stated it intends to add extra services to handle the influx of fans for the fight.

Tyson Fury is 37 years old. Anthony Joshua is 36 years old. Tyson Fury stands 6 feet 9 inches tall and weighed 261 pounds in his last fight.

Tyson Fury defeated Mariusz Wach in July 2026. Anthony Joshua defeated Kristian Prenga in July 2026. Anthony Joshua signed his side of the deal for the fight in April 2026.

Why It Matters

The dispute threatens a major heavyweight contest that has been pursued for several years. The involvement of multiple promotional entities and streaming platforms creates complex contractual obligations. The scale of the event involves a stadium with tens of thousands of seats and global broadcasting arrangements. The conflict shows ongoing tensions between traditional boxing promoters and new media entities entering the sport.

Both fighters have recent competitive histories that establish their current standing. Fury was knocked down by Francis Ngannou in 2023. Joshua suffered a knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in 2024.

Both Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have lost two fights to Oleksandr Usyk. The resolution of the promotional breach claim will determine whether the December date proceeds or if alternative arrangements are made.

Timeline

In 2020, the camps of Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua agreed on the basis of a two-fight deal. In 2021, contracts were signed for an undisputed heavyweight contest between Fury and Joshua, but Deontay Wilder’s successful arbitration case forced Fury into a third fight with Wilder. In 2022, Anthony Joshua accepted a 60-40 split to challenge Tyson Fury, but the attempt fell apart.

Tyson Fury was knocked down by Francis Ngannou in 2023. Anthony Joshua suffered a knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in 2024. Anthony Joshua knocked out Jake Paul in December 2025. Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua signed contracts for their bout earlier in 2026.

What’s New

Later reporting includes a statement from Tyson Fury containing offensive language regarding Eddie Hearn and Anthony Joshua.

Anthony Joshua has a documented history of contractual disputes with promoters, including a 2018 incident where he challenged the terms of his contract with Eddie Hearn over the promotion of his fight against Andy Ruiz Jr. Anthony Joshua suffered a knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in 2024. Tyson Fury is 37 years old.

How Sources Differ

Sources differ on details regarding Anthony Joshua. Tyson Fury stated that his heavyweight fight against Anthony Joshua scheduled for 11 December is in jeopardy due to a dispute between rival promoters.

The Netflix press release confirms the bout is scheduled for 11 December at Principality Stadium in Cardiff.