Eddie Hearn is digging in. Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua, he insists, belongs in Britain – and no amount of noise from Dana White is going to move it across the Atlantic.
The UFC boss has publicly accused Hearn of stalling the super-fight, branding the situation “the weirdest thing ever” and suggesting Hearn’s side has frozen negotiations. Central to the row is geography: a British blockbuster on home soil, or a U.S. mega-event in one of America’s biggest arenas.
Hearn’s version is blunt. From his perspective, there is nothing left to negotiate – just a contract that needs to be honored.
“Dana White says we are the only one upsetting this fight,” Hearn told iFL TV, before laying out his grievance. White, he claims, tried to muscle into a deal that was already in place, attempting to get Sela to tear up the existing agreement, scrap a British staging, and drag the fight to America. Hearn’s message: that’s the disruption, not Matchroom’s stance.
All along, he says, Joshua’s side has been clear – the original bout agreement stands.
The crux of it isn’t money, Hearn insists. It’s where Joshua plants his flag.
“He cares where the fight is. He cares about British boxing, and he cares about the contract that he signed,” Hearn said, arguing that Joshua has turned down a bigger U.S. purse on principle. In Hearn’s eyes, White has misread the man: this isn’t a fighter who can be nudged into a different city with a slightly fatter cheque.
“Well, guess what? Not on A.J.’s watch. That is why, unfortunately for these people, the fight will not be taking place in America, because Anthony Joshua is not a sellout.”
Both Fury and Joshua have done their bit in the ring to keep the dream alive, ticking over with recent wins – Fury against Mariusz Wach, Joshua against Kristian Prenga – to stay on course for a meeting Ring Magazine has already circled for late 2026. The date isn’t locked, the venue isn’t confirmed, but the direction of travel, Hearn argues, is clear.
And in his mind, the delay in making it official rests squarely with those trying to uproot the fight.
Hearn says Joshua has already had the chance to earn “many millions more” by agreeing to fight in the United States. The decision, he stresses, was Joshua’s alone.
“Forget Eddie Hearn. What do I want? I want this fight in Britain,” he said, recalling the conversations. If Joshua earns more, Hearn earns more – he’s happy to point that out. So when critics accuse him of being obsessed with money and then call this stance “fake patriotism,” Hearn fires the question straight back: which is it?
The groundswell from British fans has only hardened their resolve. Hearn talks about social media as a kind of referendum – his channels and Joshua’s flooded with calls to keep the fight at home. That noise, he says, has made them “double down” on their principles.
From there, the lines were drawn. Joshua had two offers in front of him: a richer American deal or the original U.K. contract. He chose the latter.
“I just want to stick to the original contract. I want to do this fight in the U.K.,” Hearn recalls Joshua telling him.
The reaction from those pushing for America was explosive. Toys out of the pram, as Hearn puts it. Shock that Joshua refused to bend. Accusations that this was all about Hearn blocking Dana White, trying to keep him out of the picture. Hearn brushes that off: Joshua makes the calls, and Joshua, he confirms, did indeed turn down more money to keep the fight in Britain.
Behind the scenes, the machinery is still whirring. Hearn says they’ve been in “constant communication” with Netflix and Sela. Not negotiations, he stresses – the contract is already signed – but discussions about how to move forward. The official word, when it comes, will be delivered by Turki Alalshikh, yet Hearn believes they’re closing in on an announcement for a U.K. fight.
If that happens, he predicts “unbelievable celebrations” from British fans. He even jokes that Joshua should be knighted for standing firm.
As for where in Britain, the debate is already live. Principality Stadium in Cardiff is Hearn’s personal preference – a roof, a cauldron, a proven big-fight venue. Wembley Stadium, though, carries its own weight: global visibility, history, the sense of a national occasion.
Wherever it lands, Hearn wants one thing understood: this is Joshua’s line in the sand.
“The reason that I’m doing this is because I want the fight in the U.K., but my instructions from Anthony Joshua are make sure this fight is in the U.K.,” he said.
He points again to the roar online, the “noise and the patriotism” that he believes has also caught Turki Alalshikh’s attention. That reaction, Hearn feels, is now pulling the fight back towards British soil.
Dana White and Nick Khan, he says, have “tried desperately” to haul the event to the U.S. White, in particular, has been open about not wanting the fight in the U.K. That, Hearn argues, has been the central obstacle. But he senses the mood has shifted. By holding their ground, he believes they’ve forced everyone to acknowledge just how big this could be in Britain.
“We get this fight over the line for the U.K., wait until you see the reaction,” Hearn said. “It could be the biggest sporting event ever in the U.K. We know it’s the biggest fight ever.”
The contract is signed. The battle now is for the venue – and for who gets to claim the night when Britain’s two heavyweight giants finally collide.
