More than 500,000 people joined the ticket queue for Tyson Fury's fight with Anthony Joshua at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on 11 December, with the gate expected to reach $34 million. Amid that frenzy of interest, a promotional war has broken out, with Eddie Hearn insisting Joshua's contract categorically bars UFC boss Dana White from any promotional or production role. White, for his part, says he was personally asked to take part in the event by Turki Alalshikh, the man in charge of Saudi Arabian boxing, and by Netflix.
White described the situation as absurd and has no intention of backing down. "The whole thing is bizarre, but boxing is bizarre... Tickets are on sale. Tickets sold like crazy and the fight's happening," he said. He also underlined his own role. "I am producing the fight, me and my team will be producing the fight that night," the UFC chief insisted. According to White, the contractual restrictions apply to companies rather than to him personally, and he told Hearn to take the matter to court if he wants to pursue the dispute.
