White On Fury-Joshua Talks Collapsing Again

UFC president Dana White says the collapse of Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua negotiations should surprise no one.

Fury and Joshua both won tune-up fights earlier this summer — Fury stopped Mariusz Wach in seven rounds in Pattaya, while Joshua knocked out Kristian Prenga in two — leading many to believe the long-awaited heavyweight clash would finally happen. Instead, talks broke down over where the fight would take place.

Fury posted videos praising White and Zuffa Boxing for trying to make the bout happen while claiming Matchroom's Eddie Hearn created roadblocks. Fury later said Joshua doesn't want the fight and announced he's pursuing a trilogy with Oleksandr Usyk instead. During a media scrum following a Contender Series event, White weighed in on the situation, per MMA Fighting. "My update would be: Tyson, thank you for all the kind words," he said. "I mean, guys, you don't have to be rocket scientists to see what's going on here. And I've been saying the same thing since Bournemouth."

Boxing journalist Dan Rafael disputed Fury's version of events. Hearn and Joshua reportedly signed on for the original terms requiring the fight to take place in England, while Fury's camp now wants Madison Square Garden in New York — a change from the agreed terms.

No new date has been set for negotiations to resume.