Anthony Joshua is willing to help Eddie Hearn pull the plug on the Tyson Fury fight if a renewed dispute over Dana White’s involvement leads his promoter to withdraw. That puts a promotional disagreement ahead of an unconditional commitment to face Fury.
Joshua wants credit for helping bring the fight to Britain. Yet when asked whether White’s return could make him walk away, his answer centered on what Hearn wants.
“My loyalty is with Eddie,” Joshua told talkSPORT Boxing. “So, whatever he wants to do, if he wants to pull the plug, I’ll be right there tugging that plug with him.”
That gives Hearn considerable leverage. He can oppose White knowing his headline fighter has publicly offered to support withdrawal. A commercial dispute becomes much harder to resolve when one promoter has the backing to take away half the main event.
Joshua’s loyalty is understandable. He credits Hearn with securing the British venue and values their long relationship. But supporting a promoter does not require handing him the decision over whether to fight your biggest domestic rival.
For the public, the distinction is simple. They are being sold Joshua against Fury. Asking them to accept cancellation over a disagreement about White’s role would require a much stronger explanation than loyalty to Eddie.
Joshua’s answer also creates a potential escape route. Any future withdrawal could be presented as standing beside Hearn, shifting attention from the fighter’s decision to the promoter’s objections. That does not establish that Joshua wants an excuse to avoid Fury. It does mean he has publicly supplied a business reason for walking away.
If White returns, Joshua would face an uncomfortable choice: support Hearn’s withdrawal or explain why his position has changed.
Hearn gains bargaining power from this declaration. Joshua takes on the reputational risk. Fans are left hoping the men arranging the fight can settle their differences before those differences cost them the fight itself.
