Eddie Hearn has a reason to fight Dana White’s involvement in Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua that goes beyond AJ’s contract. If White helps stage the biggest British fight in years at a Cardiff stadium, what does that leave Matchroom doing?
Hearn says White cannot have a promotional role under Joshua’s agreement. Yet White’s name appeared in the fight announcement, and he says he is working on Turki Alalshikh’s side.
“I am not involved in either side of this thing. I’m involved on the Turki side,” White told Sky Sports. “The fighters are getting paid. Everybody’s got to make some money.”
That distinction may be crucial to a lawyer. To fans watching White promote a December 11 event in Cardiff, it will look like he got onto Hearn’s biggest home turf. Hearn has spent years building Matchroom around fights like this. He is hardly going to smile while a rival takes a prominent role and Matchroom looks like AJ’s management team.
Turki has a problem of his own. If settling the dispute requires a large additional payment to Joshua and Matchroom, he has to ask what he is buying. The fight was already agreed. Paying substantially more because the promotional credits are contested would tell other promoters that a signed deal can become the opening round of another negotiation.
We do not know what Hearn has requested, or even if he has put a number on accepting White’s role. It would be unfair to call his price excessive without seeing it. But Turki does not have to pay any price simply to spare everyone the embarrassment of a canceled fight.
AJ has leverage because Fury–Joshua remains a massive attraction. His recent work in the ring gives him considerably less. The audience is paying to see these two names finally meet, not to watch Joshua prove he is still the best heavyweight. Walking away would also cost AJ a payday that another opponent is unlikely to match.
Fury has already shown how he would sell a collapse. During the earlier dispute over the venue, he blamed Joshua and Hearn for holding up the fight and talked about moving on. If this argument kills it, Hearn can point to the contract, while Fury can tell fans AJ’s side stopped them from fighting. Neither account would settle what actually happened.
Turki should try to make Fury–Joshua happen. It is bigger than the available alternatives, and replacing it this close to December would be difficult. But if the cost of resolving White’s role becomes unreasonable, he can spend his money on another major fight. Hearn has every right to defend Matchroom’s deal. Turki has every right to decide when defending it has become too expensive.
Read the full article here