Eddie Hearn challenges Dana White’s claim over Fury-Joshua venue

Eddie Hearn has strongly challenged Dana White’s claim that he arranged Madison Square Garden as the venue for Tyson Fury’s proposed fight with Anthony Joshua. The Matchroom chairman said no agreement exists for the New York arena and accused the UFC chief of overstating his role in the negotiations.

Hearn said the fight remains tied to Britain under the existing agreement involving Joshua and Matchroom. Any move to the United States, he argued, would require Joshua’s side to accept revised terms and sign an amendment before the venue could be confirmed.

New York has support from several of the parties involved in the discussions, including Turki Alalshikh, Netflix and Madison Square Garden. Fury has agreed to fight there, leaving Joshua and Matchroom as the main parties whose approval is still needed for the proposed change from a British stadium event.

Hearn has promoted Fury-Joshua as a major fight in Britain for years, but he said a US location could still be considered if the new terms were sufficiently beneficial to Joshua, Matchroom or other fighters he represents. That position leaves room for negotiations while preserving his objection to any attempt to finalize the venue without approval from Joshua’s side.

The dispute also concerns the role of TKO, which Hearn said had sought permission to participate in the event. He credited TKO president Nick Khan with being involved in conversations with Netflix and Madison Square Garden, but rejected the idea that White alone could define TKO’s position or complete the venue arrangement.

Hearn also questioned White’s account of personally contacting Madison Square Garden about possible dates. While he accepted that White may have helped develop the New York proposal, he maintained that the arena cannot be confirmed until Matchroom and Joshua agree to the altered terms.