TLDR
- Dana White publicly blasted Eddie Hearn for damaging negotiations for the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua fight
- The main dispute centers on fight location, with Joshua’s contract requiring a UK venue while Fury wants New York
- White and Hearn’s relationship has turned from friendly to hostile since White entered boxing through Zuffa Boxing
- Fury has begun naming alternative opponents including Usyk, Dubois, Kabayel, and Hrgovic as talks stall
- Heavyweight Efe Ajagba claims he has secret sparring video showing him nearly knocking out Fury in training
Sources: mmafighting.com | mmafighting.com | independent.co.uk
UFC CEO Dana White has launched a harsh attack on boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, accusing him of actively damaging the long-awaited fight between British heavyweight champions Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. White made the comments ahead of Saturday’s Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn fight.
“I’ve never seen a guy who’s supposed to be a promoter hurt a fight more than this guy has,” White told MMA Fighting. “He’s hurting [Anthony Joshua], he’s hurting [Tyson] Fury, it’s the weirdest thing ever.”
The relationship between White and Hearn has deteriorated sharply from their once-friendly partnership. When White first entered boxing through Zuffa Boxing, he made it a priority to avoid conflicts with Hearn and Matchroom Boxing.
But that cordial relationship has now turned hostile. White claims Hearn turned Zuffa Boxing into “public enemy No. 1” and the two promoters are now locked in public disputes.
Contract Disputes Threaten Fight
The main issue blocking the Fury vs. Joshua fight centers on location and venue. According to Joshua’s contract, the fight must take place in the UK, while Fury’s contract allows more flexibility.
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk both just agreed to a third fight 😅
🗣️ Usyk: “Still thinking about me? Hey Tyson, I’m coming for you. You’re greedy belly.”
🗣️ Fury: “Let’s do the trilogy. Two real men who will fight. I’m sick to death of sh*thouses.” pic.twitter.com/E5P9F8VdPr
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) September 8, 2026
Fury and his team have been pushing for a November 20 date at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Joshua has refused to budge from his demand for a Wembley Stadium showdown in London.
The 38-year-old Fury has begun calling out alternative opponents as negotiations stall. He has named former rival Oleksandr Usyk, Daniel Dubois, Agit Kabayel, and Filip Hrgovic as potential fights.
White suggested he would prefer to cut out all the middlemen and promote the fight himself. “I’d say f*ck all you motherf*ckers, deal’s off,” White said. “I’d get together with Frank Warren because I have to, because he’s the guy on the other side and I’d do the fight myself.”
He added that he would eliminate the Saudi investors and other parties involved in the current negotiations. “I’d cut out the Saudi’s, me, and everybody else in between,” White explained.
Sparring Partner Issues Challenge
As the fight talks continue to collapse, Nigerian heavyweight Efe Ajagba has emerged with claims about his past sparring sessions with Fury. Ajagba told FightHype that he “almost knocked him out in sparring.”
“Everybody knows that, he knows,” Ajagba said. “I have video proof.”
Ajagba, who holds a 21-1-1 record with 15 knockouts, said he has kept the sparring footage private at Fury’s request. But he threatened to release it if Fury starts “talking trash” about him.
“Tyson Fury said ‘no videos’, but I wanted to watch it back to learn, so that’s why I have a video,” Ajagba explained. He added that he would only post it publicly if Fury challenged him to a fight and began promotional trash talk.
Ajagba’s only professional loss came against Frank Sanchez in 2021. He fought to a draw with Martin Bakole last May before stopping former world champion Charles Martin in four rounds this past February.
White believes the Fury vs. Joshua fight should have happened years ago. “This fight should have happened 12 years ago,” he said. “People are willing to invest in the fight and you continue to hurt the fight and make it not happen.”
He closed his criticism of Hearn by telling him to “quit f*cking whining and crying and spending 24 hours a day doing f*cking interviews and hurting the fight.” White insisted that whether or not he promotes the event “doesn’t change anything in my life,” but that Hearn’s actions are preventing boxing fans from seeing the matchup they want.
