Max Kellerman has downplayed Dana White's role in the Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua fight, saying the UFC chief is assisting Turki Alalshikh in a personal capacity rather than acting as promoter. The clarification came during the broadcast of White's Zuffa Boxing show in London on Saturday night, as doubts continue over the December 12 clash in Cardiff.
Fury and Joshua are due to meet in the early hours of December 12 at Cardiff's Principality Stadium, following an announcement last week. However, a planned press conference and face-off next week is now in doubt after Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn insisted a number of issues remain outstanding.
White's role clarified
Among the unresolved issues are when Fury is due to begin drug testing, and the role of White, who has long claimed to be the promoter of the fight. White was mentioned on the official announcement last week, leading Hearn to insist that White is contractually not allowed to be involved.
Speaking on the Zuffa Boxing broadcast, commentator Max Kellerman said: "Dana White's involvement in the fight, so people know, is purely in assisting Turki Alalshikh, who has been the engine behind just about every big fight in boxing over the last handful of years. He's assisting Turki in a personal capacity, not as a promoter."
Kellerman's claim appears to be an olive branch to Hearn, who has had an ongoing feud with White ever since the American launched his promotion and signed Conor Benn, who had been with Hearn since turning professional a decade ago.
Fury accuses Joshua of pulling out
It remains to be seen whether Joshua and Fury will fly in from their training camps in Dubai and Miami respectively this week. On Friday night, Fury took to social media to accuse his rival of putting the fight at risk of collapse.
"Breaking news. Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn are trying to pull out of this fight," Fury said. "They're saying they're not gonna fight now. They're little s******** cowards."
"It's mainly to do with Eddie Hearn's ego. He's making up a million different things and threatening 'we're not gonna fight, we're not gonna fight, we're not gonna fight'. He's cost us the biggest fight in boxing history. Clown."
History of failed attempts
Multiple attempts to arrange the highest grossing event in British boxing history have failed, most notably in 2021 when Deontay Wilder used arbitration to force a trilogy fight with Fury when the 'Gypsy King' had a signed contract with Joshua.
Months of wrangling that saw Croke Park, Wembley, Madison Square Garden and then Cardiff's Principality Stadium come into contention for the latest attempt to resurrect their meeting finally appeared to succeed on Thursday. Fury has suggested that alternative opponents to Joshua are now being lined up for him.
He said: "AJ, pull your finger out you little white-flagged, yellow-bellied coward. Now I'm coming home. The Gypsy King is coming back to the United Kingdom to thrash you in front of all my fans in Wales, you absolute little nugget, bodybuilding sausage."
"Now you're making a million excuses. Now you've got Turki Alalshikh finding alternative real men who will fight at the drop of a hat. So I hope yous are happy, you little cowardly b*******. I've never seen anything like you. You're pure s********** and this is mainly to do with Eddie Hearn's ego. What a little p****."
