Dana White did not hold back when a reporter pressed him on claims that his involvement in the proposed Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua matchup could be the reason the bout has yet to be finalized.
Speaking to press following a Zuffa Boxing event, White was asked directly about comments made by Eddie Hearn regarding a clause in Anthony Joshua’s contract that reportedly bars outside promotional involvement from anyone connected to Zuffa Boxing.
When a reporter noted that Hearn has been consistent in saying there is a clause stating “no Zuffa, no TKO, no Dana White,” White pushed back hard. He questioned whether he had even been reported as trying to sign Joshua.
“Am I trying to sign Anthony Joshua? Have you seen anywhere anybody reporting that I’ve tried to sign Anthony Joshua?” he said.
The reporter clarified that the issue was not about signing Joshua, but about outside involvement in the match itself, asking whether White was aware of this detail. White’s frustration became clear as the exchange continued.
“We’re promoting the match right now,” he said, before launching into a pointed response about Hearn. “I’ve said 150,000 times, I don’t know if I’ve ever known anybody who’s more full of [ ] than Eddie Hearn.”
When the reporter followed up by asking whether White would be willing to step back if his involvement was hindering the match from happening, White insisted the decision was not his alone.
“Well, that’s not up to me. That’s not up to me. I’m involved in the match,” he said. Asked who it was up to then, White responded, “I don’t know.”
The tension escalated further when the reporter continued pressing the point.
“I know what you’re doing. You’re leading question. You [ ] know,” White said, accusing the reporter of already knowing the answer. When the reporter denied having any insight, White grew more heated, firing back with a lengthy rebuke about the reporter’s understanding of the sport and questioning who was actually informed about the situation.
White stated, “Oh, really? Did you just get here? Hi, welcome to boxing. Did you just walk in from across the street with your cell phone and you don’t know anything about this sport or what’s going on. Then who the [ ] are you and how’d you end up in this?”
Despite the outburst, White maintained that a resolution was close, telling reporters that clarity on the match’s status would come within days.
“We’ll know a lot more in the next, you know, three, four days. See how this thing plays out,” he said.
