Tyson Fury wants Dana White to be involved in his upcoming fight with Anthony Joshua.
For the past several months, the long-awaited boxing match between Fury and Joshua has been up in the air, embroiled in a contract dispute about where the bout would take place. Earlier this week, the bout was finally made official, with Fury and Joshua set to square off on Dec. 11 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. But for Fury, he didn’t care if the bout was on the moon; he just wanted to fight.
“Listen, it was all up to Turki and Netflix and wherever they wanted to put it. That’s all there is to it, really,” Fury told FurociTV. “It’s not really about Eddie Hearn. It’s not about Frank Warren. It’s not about Dana White. It’s not about Matchroom. It’s not about Sky. It’s not about anybody. It’s about me and Joshua. All the promoters who are saying, ‘We’ve done this, we’ve done that, I helped get it there,’ maybe they should get in the ring and fight each other on the night then? And we’ll just be spectators and take our percentage out of their money. …
“It’s not about them. It’s about us. It’s not their time. It’s our time. I’m a gypsy; every f*cking country in the world is mine. Whatever country in the world I go to, I own it. That’s mine. What will be different in December, fighting in the U.K.? It’ll be f*cking pissing down, cold and wet and rainy. Cardiff. It’ll be a good night out.
“I don’t care. I’ve said all along, I don’t give a f*ck if it’s in Rome, Barbados, Derby, Newcastle. I don’t care where it is. It wouldn’t matter — if it was in space, I’d go there. Prizefighter, that’s what I do. …
“I fight for the biggest paycheck there is. If I could get more money by going to China, I’d go to China. I’m not someone who’s ever going to say, ‘Oh, I’m only in it for the thrill of the sport, and the hard fights, and the knockouts!’ F*ck, I’m here to get paid and get laid, as always. I want the biggest truckload of money. Wherever that’s coming from, I’ll do it. And if it’s not there, then I don’t. I’m not cheap. I’m a very expensive escort. I’m a hired escort, literally. Whoever’s got the money, I go. Knickers come down, every single time, but it’s expensive. I’m not cheap.”
Of course, just because the bout is announced, that doesn’t mean things are set in stone. After the announcement was made, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, quickly responded to the revelation that UFC CEO Dana White would be involved in the promotion. Throughout this ordeal, Hearn has been adamant that White is not involved in the bout, and the Matchroom CEO doubled down on that, insisting that White won’t play a hand in the match, but Fury disagrees.
“In Joshua’s contract, apparently, it says that they can’t — they couldn’t, TKO and Dana, couldn’t be involved,” Fury said. “That was in mine, but I took it out. I took it out so he could be involved. Fuck ‘em. Yeah, I want him involved. Two baldies together. I like Dana. Good businessman and a good guy. A man who come from nothing to being a billionaire. And look what he done with the UFC. Unbelievable. I think he can do really well in boxing. Think he drives Eddie Hearn out, feeds him to the fishes.”
White and Hearn have had a tumultuous year as White finally made his long-talked-about move into boxing with Zuffa Boxing, poaching one of Hearn’s biggest fighters, Conor Benn. Since then, the two have battled through the media, with White even suggesting they fight, before backing down from that.
But even if the Dana White piece of this gets settled, Fury still isn’t confident the fight happens. Fury and Joshua have been circling each other for nearly a decade, so until they finally step in the ring together, Fury won’t be convinced it’s really happening.
“Listen, this fight could get signed; he could pull out with an injury at any time,” Fury said. “So I’m not sold that this fight is actually happening until we’re in that ring. Until the ring walk happens and we exchange blows, then I know it’s on. Until then, it’s tentative.”
