For months, Dana White vehemently stated he would promote Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua, but that isn't the case – at least not officially.
For the time being.
On Thursday, the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBOC), which is regulating the fight, confirmed to Boxing Scene the promoters for the Netflix-streamed event Dec. 11 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. Listed in official paperwork are Sela, Matchroom Boxing and Queensberry Promotions – with no mention of White or Zuffa Boxing.
White, not Zuffa Boxing, specifically was named in Netflix's press release on Sept. 24. announcing the fight. That caused a stir and put the fight in Jeopardy as Matchroom's Eddie Hearn, who's publicly feuded with White for the past year, stood firm on the fact
that contracts signed by Joshua and Fury stipulated neither White nor Zuffa Boxing could promote the fight. White's involvement has been the wish of his business partner, Turki Al-Sheikh, who is financing the event.
White also is backed by Fury, who revealed that White was the reason his four-uear U.S. ban was lifted after the UFC boss spoke to President Donald Trump on his behalf. Fury had been barred from entering the country because of his past association with alleged Irish crime boss Daniel Kinahan, who was wanted by U.S. authorities before he was arrested in April in Dubai.
Has Dana White been pushed out of Fury vs. Joshua promotion for good?
According to Boxing Scene, there still could be an opening for White to work his way into promoting Fury vs. Joshua as, under BBBOC regulations, a British license holder is required to promote an event it regulates. BBBOC executive
Robert Smith said Thursday that Sela, which is headquartered in Saudi Arabia, has not designated a British license holder. Smith added that "discussions have been ongoing" about Sela's decision.
Zuffa Boxing had yet to apply to be involved as of Thursday, Smith confirmed.
Dana White's continued claims on Fury vs. Joshua come into question
White's insistence that he would promote Fury vs. Joshua kicked into high gear in June when he entered the equation touting that he knew the fight would happen at New York's Madison Square Garden, his desired location, while dismissing Hearn's involvement in negotiations.
"Watch what happens over the next 30 days," White said then after a Zuffa Boxing event. "Do you think that I would publicly lie and then look like a f*cking idiot in front of everybody. What would be the point of that?"
https://t.co/aVnVYoLptW pic.twitter.com/XmY2VHD312
— MMA Joey (@MMAJOEYC) October 1, 2026
Hearn all along wanted the all-British showdown to happen in the U.K.
As recently as this past Tuesday, White continued to claim he was promoting the fight. At the Fury vs. Joshua launch press conference Wednesday, which White didn't attend, he was not mentioned by announced Michael Buffer as Buffer read the names of the people and entities promoting the fight.
The mere mention of White's name drew loud boos from the crowd when Al-Sheikh thanked him on the microphone.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dana White, Zuffa Boxing officially snubbed as Fury vs. Joshua promoters
