Fury-Joshua Contracts Bar Dana White, Zuffa Boxing Involvement

Tyson Fury's signed contract to face Anthony Joshua does not require the heavyweight superfight to take place in the United Kingdom, BoxingScene has learned, though Eddie Hearn says Joshua's side of the deal locks the bout to British soil.

Hearn, who promotes Joshua under Saudi financier Turki Alalshikh's arrangement, told reporters that both fighters' contracts contain a provision barring Dana White and Zuffa Boxing from any promotional involvement. "Specifically in the contract it says Dana White, Zuffa cannot have any promotional involvement in the show," Hearn said Friday at a weigh-in in Arizona, per BoxingScene. "Dana doesn't know about the contract for the show that we signed and negotiated."

What Alalshikh's Ownership Stake Means for Zuffa's Role

White told reporters last week that he would be promoting Fury-Joshua and suggested the fight might leave the U.K., prompting speculation about SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles or Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas as possible venues. Alalshikh owns a 60-percent stake in Zuffa Boxing, the new venture headed by White and WWE President Nick Khan. Hearn said Alalshikh could attempt to move the fight abroad, but doing so would require fresh negotiations. "If Turki Alalshikh wants to hold the fight in another country, that's not necessarily a problem, but contractually he cannot do that," Hearn said.

The contracts stipulate that Hearn and U.K. promoter Frank Warren are the official promoters of record for the Joshua-Fury bout. Joshua is scheduled to face Kristian Prenga on July 25 before meeting Fury, while Fury boxes a tune-up August 1 in Dublin. Both deals were structured through Alalshikh and Saudi events planner Sela.

Hearn dismissed White's public statements as an attempt to salvage credibility for a struggling Zuffa Boxing operation. "Someone said to me, 'why is Dana White doubling down on this?' I said, 'What do you expect him to do? Backtrack and apologize?'" Hearn said. Joshua's camp expects the fight to land at a U.K. stadium this autumn, though no venue has been formally announced.

Source: boxingscene.com