Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua has been made official with the two legendary British heavyweights finally clashing in Cardiff on 11 December.
The mega fight was diverted away from New York after lengthy negotiations, led by Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh.
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Ahead of the announcement, much of the debate swirled around who would be the face of the promotion, with Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn in a dispute with Zuffa Boxing’s Dana White.
Despite a Netflix announcement detailing that White will be involved and front up the promotion of the show alongside Alalshikh, Hearn insists that is explicitly not the case and has been given the word of Sela and Alalshikh that the UFC chief will not be involved.
A statement from Netflix initially read: “HE Turki Alalshikh’s The Ring and Dana White will collaborate to promote this historic showdown that will stream live on Netflix globally to its 325+ million members at no additional cost.
Dana White speaks during a press conference for Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn (AP)
“The event will also feature a star-studded undercard with marquee fighters from around the world, further underscoring the global scale of the event. Undercard bouts will be announced at a later date.
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But Hearn responded to the announcement by telling the Independent: “We expect the contracts to be honoured and unless we decide otherwise, Dana White cannot be involved in the fight.”
The pair will come face to face at a press conference next Wednesday, 30 September, at British Airways Arc in London.
HE Turki Alalshikh added: “Two of the best heavyweights of this generation, finally in the ring together. This will be one of the biggest fights in boxing history, I am very happy to make this fight happen for the fans.”
While Dana White responded to the fight being made: “For more than a decade, boxing fans have been clamoring for the heavyweight showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Together, they bring 66 wins, 52 knockouts and multiple heavyweight world titles into the ring.
“On December 11, two of the biggest heavyweights of this generation finally collide– and the winner will take a significant place in heavyweight history.”
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