Eddie Hearn picked an interesting morning to show off his coffee mug. With Tyson Fury claiming his fight with Anthony Joshua could be called off, Hearn posted a sunny view of the water and a cup declaring, “I got 99 problems but closing deals ain’t one.”
It is a good line for a promoter. It is a harder sell when the company broadcasting the fight says Dana White will help promote it, while Hearn insists White cannot be involved. Netflix lists the December 11 Cardiff fight and names White alongside The Ring in its promotion.
Hearn says that arrangement conflicts with the agreement he has for Joshua. Netflix Tudum
That is the problem the mug cannot cover up. Hearn represents one of the two fighters, but the money and the broadcast come from outside Matchroom. He can object to White’s role, and his contractual objection may be valid. He cannot settle the argument by sounding certain in an interview or posting a clever picture.
White knows it, too. He has made a public contest out of his involvement, daring Hearn to stop him. Hearn’s “Netflix didn’t get the memo” response may please people who already dislike White. To everyone waiting for the fight, it sounds like the parties who announced it still disagree about who is running it.
Fury has gone further, accusing Hearn and Joshua of trying to pull out. That is Fury’s claim, not proof that Joshua intends to walk away. Joshua has not publicly taken up Hearn’s fight with White in the same fashion. His silence gives us no way to know what he thinks privately, but it does make Hearn look isolated in a dispute being fought largely through microphones and social media.
Frank Warren has avoided making himself the center of this particular argument. That does not mean he has no interests of his own. It means the public sees one side working with White while Hearn is explaining why White should not be there. The contrast does Hearn no favors.
If Fury–Joshua falls apart, Hearn will still have a business, and Joshua will still have money. Joshua would also lose a huge payday. British fans would lose the fight they have spent more than a decade waiting to watch. They have heard enough from promoters about what is agreed, who holds the contract, and whose name belongs on the poster.
Hearn’s mug says closing deals is easy. Fans would probably settle for seeing this one survive until December 11.
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