Tyson Fury claims Joshua fight in jeopardy as promoter row erupts

Tyson Fury has claimed his long-awaited heavyweight fight with Anthony Joshua is in jeopardy, accusing Joshua and promoter Eddie Hearn of trying to pull out of the bout just two days after it was confirmed (Sky Sports).

“Breaking news, Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn are trying to pull out the fight,” Fury said. “They’re saying they’re not going to fight now. It’s mainly to do with Eddie Hearn’s ego. He’s making up a million different things and threatening ‘we’re not gonna fight’.” Fury added that Saudi powerbroker Turki Alalshikh was “finding alternative, real men who will fight at the drop of a hat”.

The row centres on the promotional structure announced with the fight: Thursday’s confirmation named Alalshikh’s The Ring and UFC president Dana White as promoters of the 11 December event at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, to stream on Netflix — but Hearn has said White’s involvement “ain’t happening”, calling it a breach of Joshua’s contract (Sky Sports; British Bulletin).

Sky Sports News has contacted Matchroom Sport for comment. Neither Joshua nor Hearn had responded to Fury’s claims at the time of reporting (Sky Sports).

Both men arrive off comeback paths: Joshua survived two first-round knockdowns in July before stopping Kristian Prenga in the second, while Fury outpointed Arslanbek Makhmudov on his April return at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (Sky Sports).