Tyson Fury wasn’t at UFC White House just for fun, at least, so says Dana White.
In December, Fury finally faces Anthony Joshua in a boxing match that has become the central talking point of the combat sports world, as much for the fight itself as for the battle between White and Eddie Hearn over White’s involvement in the event.
While that appeared at one time like it might upend the fight entirely, it seems all sides have smoothed things over and the fight will move forward. Speaking with Pat McAfee on Tuesday, White confirmed as such and reiterated his involvement in the fight.
“We’re promoting and producing the fight,” White said. “It’s at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, and I’m excited that I get to be there. It’s basically already sold out. I haven’t looked today yet, but when we launched tickets on sale, it was less than 700 left, which is basically considered a sellout. So it just goes to show that people are interested and care about this fight.”
This summer, the UFC held arguably its biggest event of all time, UFC Freedom 250 from the South Lawn of the White House. The one-off specialty event drew numerous celebrities, including Fury, who even had a brief segment talking to the camera, where many expected Fury to officially announce the matchup with Joshua; however, that didn’t end up happening, leading to a slightly awkward moment. But White revealed that originally the plan was to announce the fight there, until other unspecified factors got in the way.
“Yeah. F*ckery [happened]. A lot of f*ckery has gone on since then,” White said. “And here we are. We finally got here. We have tickets on sale. Tickets did well. So it’s been interesting, but I knew these types of things were going to happen when I got involved in the sport of boxing.”
Aside from White’s involvement in the fight, the biggest blocker was the location. Joshua and Hearn insisted the bout be held in the United Kingdom, while White, who represents no fighter in the bout, pushed for Madison Square Garden. In the end, Joshua and Hearn won that dispute, and even White had to acknowledge how successful that move has been for the promotion.
“Listen, if you guys have never seen a fight in the U.K.—I mean, sporting events period in the U.K. are just different. This is the biggest heavyweight fight ever in England, so I expect this to be really special live. …
“It’s just one of those things where generational guys are finally fighting, and it’s going to be split. You’re gonna have the A.J. fans, the Fury fans, and I guarantee you the arena is going to be electric that night. It’s a lot of fun. … Listen, whatever’s happened between me and Eddie Hearn—Frank Warren is also involved in this fight—the fight sold out. Listen, Eddie pushed hard for this thing to be in the U.K. I was trying to do it in MSG. It’s in the U.K. and sold out an 80,000-seat stadium.
“And like I said, I truly believe Madison Square Garden is a five-hour flight from the U.K. That would have sold out immediately, too, and the energy would have been the same. Because I don’t know if you’ve ever seen when the Irish come over for a Conor McGregor fight, it’s absolutely insane. Ricky Hatton fights in Vegas were insane. The U.K. is a fun, fun place for sports.”
Fury vs. Joshua takes place on Dec. 11.