Hearn threatens to sue White over Fury-Joshua promoter dispute as MSG announcement falls flat

Eddie Hearn escalated his public feud with Dana White on Tuesday, threatening legal action after White claimed promotional rights to the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua heavyweight fight that Hearn says belong exclusively to him and Matchroom.

Speaking to About Boxing, Hearn accused White of using Joshua — Hearn’s client — to pursue a venue deal at Madison Square Garden without the contractual authority to do so. “Actually, I should be suing Dana White, because what he’s doing is, he’s actually purporting to have the ability to stage the fight there, and he’s using my client to do a venue deal that he has no rights to,” Hearn said.

The remarks came after rumours circulated that an announcement for a November date at MSG was imminent. Hearn moved quickly to dismiss those reports, while also revealing that TKO — White’s parent company — had since approached him about involvement in the event. “Dana White’s gone from being the promoter of the event to asking if he can be involved,” Hearn said, adding that he remained open to a conversation only if it could be demonstrated to benefit Joshua and Matchroom. “Business is business. And if it makes sense for AJ, and maybe Matchroom, and some of our fighters, I’m up for a chat.”

Hearn drew a pointed comparison to illustrate his position. “It’s like I said to them, ‘Let me promote WrestleMania.’ Because this is my WrestleMania. And absolutely not, unless you can give me reasons why.”

On the fight itself, Hearn confirmed that contracts have been signed but that the opposing camp is seeking changes — something he described as contrary to Matchroom’s standard practice. The sticking point appears to be the location. “Tyson Fury has agreed to do the fight in America, and we haven’t at the moment,” Hearn said, indicating that discussions around a revised deal are ongoing. He suggested that if agreed conditions are met, a US date remains a genuine possibility.

White has publicly expressed frustration at the delays in formalising the bout but has declined to go into detail. The feud between the two promoters has been building throughout 2026, rooted in White’s expansion into boxing through Zuffa Boxing and Hearn’s move to take on management of several MMA fighters. The pair even briefly entertained the idea of settling their differences in the ring themselves.