Anthony Joshua has vowed to walk away from his fight with Tyson Fury if Dana White is the promoter. The two heavyweights are expected to meet on December 11 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, ending a decade-long feud.
Fury and Joshua faced off at a press conference in London on Wednesday evening. Fans anticipated confrontation, but the pair engaged in a respectful yet tense face-off without exchanging verbal jabs.
Controversy over White's role
The December bout has already been overshadowed by controversy, largely due to the involvement of Zuffa Boxing and UFC chief White. Over the weekend, Fury and White stated that the fight was in jeopardy because of an ongoing feud between White and Eddie Hearn, Joshua's long-term promoter.
Hearn has continued to dispute White's involvement after the UFC supremo was officially named as a promoter alongside The Ring, which is owned by Turki Alalshikh.
Joshua's loyalty to Hearn
Despite both fighters facing off on Wednesday, Joshua is ready to cancel the contest if White acts as promoter. In an interview with talkSPORT, he said: "My loyalty is with Eddie. Whatever he wants to do, I'll do it. If he wants to pull the plug [cancel the fight over White], I'd be right there tugging that plug with him."
White was a no-show on Wednesday but maintained that he is the promoter over the event alongside Alalshikh. He cited his UFC Contender series as the reason for his absence. "I would have been there if I didn't have The Contender series," he said.
White dismisses confusion
Asked why there is confusion over his involvement, White said: "There's no confusion whatsoever. If you look at everything from the network to the guy who's actually f***ing paying for it, and to me saying what I've said. I mean, I've been saying it now, feels like for f***ing years, but it's probably been weeks, but I've been saying the same thing.
"Everything that I've been saying is the truth, and why would I say it and double down, and triple down, and f***ing quadruple down if it wasn't the case? This isn't a hesitation; this is an ego thing; a total ego thing. Boxing has taken a hit in the United States. It's not as big as it was here 20 years ago. It has become a very British sport, and all the s*** you're hearing, and the crying, and the bitching is all coming from the UK."
