Dana White has spent weeks publicly unraveling after getting exposed for lying about his role in the Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua bout, and watching him squirm has become one of the more satisfying spectacles in combat sports media.
Before the bout was officially announced, White told reporters he had personally secured the venue deal and strongly implied the bout would land at Madison Square Garden. He sounded fully confident in his version of events at the time:
“I know where it is. You think that I would publicly lie? And then look like a ( ) ( ) in front of everybody.”
Except th e bout was announced for Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, not New York, and when a reporter directly asked if he had done the deal for that location, White froze for over 20 seconds before admitting the truth. He contradicted himself in the same breath:
“Did I do the deal for Cardiff? No, I did not. Do you think that I would publicly lie?”
The location dispute stemmed from a promotional power struggle with Eddie Hearn, Joshua‘s promoter and White‘s rival in the boxing business. Hearn claims the contract explicitly bars White, Zuffa Boxing and TKO from any involvement in the event. White refuses to accept that, repeatedly insisting he’s still producing and promoting the bout regardless of what the paperwork says. He doubled down even as the people financing the event reportedly told him to stop making that claim:
“I’m producing the show. And at the end of the day, who gives a ( ). Yes, I’m helping promote”
Even the own broadcaster of White, Max Kellerman, publicly stated on air that White is not a promoter on the card, only helping Saudi official Turki Alalshikh in a personal capacity. White brushed it off as weird while still insisting he’s involved.
Hearn hasn’t let up, mocking the shifting story of White in interviews and online:
“You lost, mate. You’ve lost.”
He pointed out that White claimed certainty about a location that turned out to be false. Hearn also noted White was kept away from the official press conference entirely, something White chalked up to scheduling rather than exclusion.
With Joshua and Hearn reportedly turning down an extra 10 million dollars to keep the bout in the US and out of the hands of White, it’s clear the UK side has no interest in sharing credit. The refusal of White to back down, even as his own team publicly contradicts him, has turned a heavyweight showdown into a side show about his bruised ego.
