Fury vs. Joshua Netflix Superfight In Jeopardy

The Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua heavyweight superfight is in serious danger of collapse less than 48 hours after Netflix announced the Dec. 11 clash for Cardiff.

Boxing insider Mike Coppinger reported sources close to the promotion have raised concerns about unspecified issues that could derail the long-awaited British blockbuster. A replacement pairing between Terence Crawford and Ryan Garcia is already under discussion, per the report, with Fury vs. David Benavidez named as another fallback option.

White-Hearn Feud Likely Behind Contract Dispute

The roadblock appears tied to an ongoing dispute between Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn and UFC president Dana White, who is advising Saudi adviser Turki Alalshikh on the event. MMA Mania noted Joshua's contract reportedly bars White from promotional involvement, while Fury's deal contains no such language. Fury is said to want White's input on the commercial side.

Coppinger's original post said simply that the fight "could be called off due to issues" and that Crawford-Garcia was being considered. He added Fury-Benavidez as a second contingency without elaborating on timing or likelihood.

Fury and Joshua have circled each other for years in what was expected to settle the best English heavyweight of the decade. The fight took years of stop-start negotiation before Netflix and Alalshikh's Riyadh Season backing finally pushed it over the line. Both camps will need to resolve the contract language or risk losing the bout entirely before December.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Report: Fury vs. Joshua Netflix superfight in serious jeopardy, Terence Crawford vs. Ryan Garcia replacement bout ‘being considered’