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Dana White Claims to Promote Joshua-Fury; The promoters deny this

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Dana White has again said he is promoting the Anthony Joshua-Tyson Fury fight later this year, with promoters representing both heavyweight fighters Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn denying that claim based on their signed contracts. The exchange resurfaced at the Zuffa Boxing 07 post-fight press conference in Bournemouth on Saturday, June 6, 2026, during which White was directly asked if he was promoting the fight.

What Dana White said

White first made this claim during a livestream earlier this year. “This is the busiest year of my career. I will be traveling everywhere. This year I am focusing on hardcore Zuffa Boxing,” he said. “I’m also doing the Tyson Fury fight, AJ. I’ll be promoting it.”

When pressed on the matter at Bournemouth, White did not address the contractual issues and instead pointed to Hearn. “Do you think I would lie in public and make myself look like an idiot in front of everyone? Do you believe I would do that? What would be the point?” – said White. “Call Eddie now and ask him if he knows where the fight is. Call Eddie and ask who negotiated the contract for the fight. ” He also said the location was set and let him know he knew it.

What Frank Warren said

Warren, founder of Queensberry Promotions, which promotes Fury, disputed White’s account when asked about it. “Well, no,” Warren told Fight Hub TV on whether White would promote the fight. “Tyson’s contract says Zuffa won’t be able to promote this fight. I don’t know why Dana White said that would be the case. That’s bulls***.”

What Eddie Hearn said

Hearn, the chairman of Matchroom promoting Joshua, was the first to respond on social media. “Such an influence hunter. No chance and it’s impossible in the contract. Let me know when you find the balls,” he wrote.

He later presented the contractual position in more detail. “The reality is that a contract is a contract. The fight won’t happen if they are involved in promoting the show,” Hearn told iFL TV. “It clearly says that if Zuffa, TKO. It clearly mentions them and no one associated with that company can have any involvement, promotional involvement in the program. Tyson Fury’s contract says exactly the same and has been signed.”

Hearn also named the parties he believes will host the event. “Who will be promoting this show is Eddie Hearn, Frank Warren, Spencer Brown and Turki. We were all hesitant. We will all work on it,” he said. “It’s not that substantial of a deal that there will be some guest promoter because contractually it can’t work like that.”

Alalshikh factor

Competing accounts involve Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, who is financing and directing the fight. Hearn said the decision on where the competition would take place rested with Alalshikh, who played a key role in the biggest recent sporting events of the season in Riyad and owned Ring magazine.

White is the closest promoter to Alalshikh. He runs Zuffa Boxing as the main promoter, and the venture is being financed by Alalshikh through Riyadh Season and Sela, a Saudi company that works with TKO Group Holdings on promotions. White previously fought Canelo Alvarez against Terence Crawford in 2025, another event at Alalshikh, ahead of Zuffa Boxing’s formal launch.

Warren, on the other hand, fell out with Alalshikh, Sela, Ring Magazine and TKO and in February filed a $1 billion lawsuit against TKO and Sela over the creation of Zuffa Boxing, claiming he should have been part of it. He continued to work with Alalshikh, including the fight against the Fury. Joshua is scheduled to face Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia on July 25, with Fury also expected to fight an interim fight before the two fighters meet. That the fight is scheduled for November and Netflix will broadcast it.

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Moses Itauma Calls Out Next Opponent After Stunning Loss to Filip Hrgovic

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"Moses Itauma Calls Out Next Opponent After Stunning Loss to Filip Hrgovic"

Moses It will hurt suffered a surprising defeat to Filip Hrgovic on Saturday, and the 21-year-old has now revealed who he wants to face upon his return.

Itauma looked to be fulfilling his destiny and dominating his Croatian opponent during the opening rounds at the O2 Arena over the weekend, but his success soon turned to desperation when Hrgovic’s chin held up and his own stamina did not.

An exhausted Itauma eventually collapsed in round nine of the contestwith Hrgovic pulling off a remarkable upset to throw the heavyweight scene a huge curveball, hand Itauma a first career loss and get his hands on the IBF heavyweight world title.

In an interview with talkSPORT Boxingpromoter Frank Warren revealed that Itauma has already asked for a rematch with ‘El Animal’.

“In that last round, he was still firing back. He has got a firing heart, he is a very brave young man, very brave. It’s now about what he does, how he prepares, he is saying to me, ‘can we get the rematch on?’, which is a natural reaction.”

Despite the 21-year-old’s desire to take on Hrgovic for a second time, it seems as though the latter will be made to face Cuba’s Frank Sanchez, who agreed to a step-aside deal to allow Itauma and Hrgovic to fight for the IBF title under the condition that he would face the winner.

Continuing, Warren seemed to confirm that a scrap between Hrgovic and Sanchez will be next, advising Itauma to take some time off before rushing into a second shot at the heavyweight throne.

“I told him, ‘you have got to just switch off from boxing, go and chill out, go and spend some time with your family and then come back, recharge your batteries and then we will get to work again,’

“The landscape is what it is, he is a a part of it, he has shown that he belongs at that level and provided that we learn and he learns some lessons from the fight, I think that he can go on and do some great things.”

In his post-fight interview, newly-crowned IBF champion Hrgovic spoke of his desire for a bout on home soil in Croatia; where he has not fought since 2019.

As a result, Warren may next target Zagreb for a clash between Hrgovic and Sanchez, which should take place within the next six months.

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Shawn Porter Expects a Dazzling Comeback from Canelo Against Explosive Prospect Mbilli

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"Shawn Porter Expects a Dazzling Comeback from Canelo Against Explosive Prospect Mbilli"

Canelo Alvarez is hoping to regain one of his former super-middleweight titles at the first time of asking when he makes his comeback this October against WBC champion Christian Mbilli. Two-time welterweight ruler Shawn Porter has revealed his prediction for the fight.

Alvarez lost all four of his belts at 168lbs to Terence Crawford last September and has since been sidelined due to an elbow injuryas Crawford’s retirement saw the coronation of four new world champions.

One of those beneficiaries was Mbilli, who had been in possession of the WBC Interim crown when ‘Bud’ decided to hang up the glovesallowing him to be elevated to full champion and then lined up for a showdown with Canelo.

Canelo’s remaining quality at the age of 36 is an ongoing debate amongst fans and analysts, leading many to predict an intriguing and potentially even fight. Yet, speaking on The PorterWay Podcast‘Showtime’ said that Alvarez will look like an ‘A++ fighter’ come fight night.

“Canelo truly does have that fast twitch; he is explosive, but he is explosive with speed and quickness and that fast twitch is going to get Canelo to that mark a little bit quicker.

“Yeah, I think [he can still do it] at 36. If you think about it, even though Canelo is not that ‘A++’ fighter that he used to be, he is still a solid ‘A’ and that solid ‘A’ will beat a solid ‘B’ [in Mbilli].

“That solid ‘B’ will make a solid ‘A’ look like an ‘A++’, so I think that he is going to look ‘A++’.”

Canelo-Mbilli takes place on Saturday, October 31, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The super-middleweight duo will top a ‘Mexico vs. The World’ themed bill, which could feature a bantamweight title unification between WBA champion and pound-for-pound sensation Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez and WBO titleholder Christian Medina.

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Undefeated KO Artist Moves Closer to Canelo Fight After Latest Stoppage: Its Going to Happen

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"Undefeated KO Artist Moves Closer to Canelo Fight After Latest Stoppage: 'It’s Going to Happen'"

Canelo Alvarez could be ordered to enter an immediate title defence if he emerges victorious against Christian Mbilli on October 31.

The Mexican has not fought since September 2025, when he was relieved of his undisputed super-middleweight crown after losing a unanimous decision to Terence Crawford.

On that same card, Mbilli retained his WBC ‘interim’ strap following a 10-round draw against Lester Martinezmaintaining his position as one of the top contenders at 168lbs.

The Frenchman was then upgraded to full world champion in December, with Crawford having relinquished his four major titles and announced his retirement as a three-division undisputed king.

Canelo will therefore have the opportunity to reclaim one of his old belts in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with Mbilli making a first defence of his WBC title.

The winner of their showdown may then be ordered to face Martinez, as the unbeaten mandatory challenger comes off two successful defences of his WBC ‘interim’ strap.

Most recently, the 30-year-old scored a 10th-round stoppage of Luka Plantic last weekend, which followed his unanimous decision victory over Immanuwel Aleem in March.

Speaking at the post-fight presser following his win against Plantic, Martinez said through a translator that he expects to eventually face both Canelo and Mbilli.

“No, look, at the end of the day, I’ve said it before: the second fight [with Mbilli] will happen, possibly next year or the year after. But either one of those fights makes sense for us.

“We know the eyes of the world are going to be on [Mbilli-Canelo]and because we’re going to be there, we’re going to take advantage of all of that. But both fights are going to happen.”

Having already created the “blueprint” to defeat Canelo, Crawford trainer Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre said afterwards that he is supremely confident in guiding Martinez to victory against either Alvarez or Mbilli.

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