‘Trying to pull out’: Tyson Fury erupts as Anthony Joshua fight thrown into major doubt just hours after official confirmation

Tyson Fury's long-awaited fight with Anthony Joshua has been officially announced for December, but within hours of the confirmation, Fury was already warning that the biggest all-British heavyweight fight in years could be in trouble. The bout is scheduled for December 11 at Cardiff's Principality Stadium and will be broadcast on Netflix, yet a dispute between Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn and UFC president Dana White has suddenly put the agreement under pressure.Fury turns on Joshua and Hearn after fight announcementFury's warning came after Hearn publicly objected to White's involvement in the promotion of the fight, despite the event being announced as a collaboration between Saudi boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh's The Ring and White's UFC operation.Speaking to IFL TV, Hearn said White's involvement was not acceptable under the terms of the agreement surrounding the fight.“Dana White cannot be involved with this fight promotion. Netflix clearly didn't get the memo. No-one talks to each other,” Hearn said.Fury responded on Instagram by accusing Joshua and Hearn of trying to withdraw from the fight, with the former heavyweight champion directing most of his anger towards Hearn.“Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn are trying to pull out of this fight. They're saying they're not going to fight now,” Fury said.“It's mainly to do with Eddie Hearn's ego. He's making up a million different things and threatening we're not going to fight.”Fury then launched into a much more colourful attack, calling Joshua and Hearn “little s***house cowards” and telling Joshua to “pull your finger out” before describing him as a “white-flagged, yellow belly coward”.The former champion also mocked Joshua as a “bodybuilding sausage” and a “little nugget”, while accusing Hearn of allowing personal grievances to threaten the fight.“Now you've got Turki Al-Sheikh finding alternative real men who will fight at the drop of a hat,” Fury said. “So I hope you are happy, you little cowardly b***s. I've never seen anything like you, you pure shouses.”Fury finished the post by directing another insult at Hearn and claiming his promoter dispute had cost boxing its biggest fight.“And this is mainly to do with Eddie Hearn's ego, what a little p****. It's cost us the biggest fight in boxing history. Clown.”The situation is particularly striking because the fight had only just been formally announced, after years of negotiations between the two heavyweight camps repeatedly collapsing.Why Dana White has become the latest obstacleThe disagreement centres on White, who has been publicly feuding with Hearn since the launch of Zuffa Boxing earlier this year.Reports have suggested that White wanted a significant role in promoting the Fury-Joshua event and had hoped the fight would take place in the United States. Hearn, meanwhile, worked to secure the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, where the fight is now scheduled to take place.The contractual position has become central to the dispute, with reports indicating that the agreement requires the fight to take place in the United Kingdom and that White must not be involved in its promotion.White appeared to play into the speculation after Fury's comments, posting a photograph of himself on a video call with Alalshikh while smoking a cigar.Fury subsequently posted another video in which he again blamed Hearn's objections to White for putting the event at risk.“So Eddie Hearn's ego is trying to cost us and all the boxing fans around the world the fight that everyone's waited for, for over a decade,” Fury said.“And it is all because Eddie doesn't want someone in the building. Isn't that a bit pathetic and childish?”Fury then continued his attack on Hearn, accusing him of acting like a child because of his dislike of White.“You absolute nugget. You little silver-spooned wer. You're not a man of your word, you little back-out py.”He also turned his attention back towards Joshua, saying: “And Joshua, you ought to be ashamed of yourself. You want this and you want that.”Hearn's comments and Fury's response have therefore created another major complication for a fight that has already survived several rounds of failed negotiations. Neither side has publicly confirmed that the bout has been cancelled, but the dispute has raised a genuine question over whether the December date can hold.Fury-Joshua has already survived years of failed negotiationsThe latest dispute is only the newest chapter in a fight that has repeatedly appeared close to happening before falling apart.In 2020, the two camps agreed the basis of a two-fight deal, creating the first serious framework for Fury and Joshua to meet.A year later, contracts were signed for an undisputed heavyweight contest, but Deontay Wilder's successful arbitration case forced Fury into a third fight with the American instead.The negotiations returned in 2022, when Joshua accepted a 60-40 split to challenge Fury, but that attempt also collapsed without the fight being made.Fury and Joshua finally signed contracts for their long-awaited meeting earlier this year, with the date and venue formally confirmed this week.Ring Magazine's Mike Coppinger reported that replacement fights were already being worked on because of concerns surrounding White's role in the event. According to Coppinger, unbeaten cruiserweight champion David Benavidez is being considered as a potential replacement opponent for Fury if Joshua pulls out.If the Fury-Joshua fight were to collapse altogether, another alternative involving Ryan Garcia and Terence Crawford has also been discussed, although Crawford retired last year.For now, Fury and Joshua remain scheduled to meet on December 11 at Cardiff's Principality Stadium, with Netflix set to broadcast the fight. The announcement finally gave the heavyweight rivalry a date, venue and contract after years of failed attempts, but the argument over who can be involved in promoting it has left the event facing yet another unexpected hurdle.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.