The long-awaited fight between former British heavyweight champions Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua might not happen despite being formally announced Thursday.
The bout could be called off due to "issues," sources told Ring Magazine's Mike Coppinger.
Those issues stem from Dana White's involvement in the event, and that's what is jeopardizing the fight, sources told Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.
Turki Alalshikh reportedly wants the UFC CEO promoting the fight through Zuffa Boxing, but Joshua and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, don't want White, and have a contract that says Zuffa Boxing can't be part of the match.
"This is all because Eddie doesn't want somebody in the building. Isn't that a bit pathetic and childish?" Fury said Friday, according to EverythingBoxing.
Fury added: "Joshua, you ought to be ashamed of yourself. You want this, you want that. I've agreed to five different locations. ... If I would've stuck to my contract, there would've been no fight."
The fight, which will be broadcast on Netflix, is currently slated to take place Dec. 11 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. Alalshikh's Ring Magazine and Zuffa Boxing were announced as the original promoters.
A Terence Crawford-Ryan Garcia match is being considered as a replacement if Fury-Joshua falls through, according to Coppinger. Crawford retired last December after finishing his career with a perfect 42-0 record. He beat Canelo Álvarez in his last fight in September 2025.
Another option would be Fury against David Benavidez, Coppinger reports.
Joshua (30-4, 27 KOs) and Fury (36-2-1, 25 KOs) both last fought in July in tuneup bouts.
The two boxing stars have been trying to make a fight happen for almost 15 years through barbs and public negotiations.
