Dana White Bashes Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua Warm-Up Fights

Dana White has stated numerous times that he is set to be the lead promoter for Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua this fall. This comes despite Fury being tied to Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions and Joshua fighting under the Matchroom Boxing banner.

Eddie Hearn has repeatedly contrasted White's comments, but with official details of the bout, such as location, still in limbo, things are unclear in the Fury vs AJ saga.

Both heavyweights competed in individual 'warm-up' fights last weekend, as Fury retired Mariusz Wach on Friday before Joshua had a dramatic comeback win over Kristian Prenga.

However, neither fight was met in great taste by the Zuffa Boxing boss.

Anthony Joshua | Getty Images for Netflix

Dana White labels warm-up fights as 'stupid'

Speaking to Oscar Willis of The Mac Life, White was asked for his opinion on last weekend's boxing matches as the supposed promoter of the upcoming mega fight.

White said that he did not watch the Joshua fight live, but was made aware of 'AJ' being put down twice in the opening round via text message.

"I'm not a big believer in tune-up fights. What does a tune-up fight even mean? It's so old-school. It's so stupid."
Dana White

The UFC promoter then labeled such fights as 'money-grabs'. "They're basically just, 'let's do a money grab before the big payday'. They're dangerous."

Joshua's return to the ring in Saudi Arabia last week was his first bout since his win over Jake Paul in December. It was also the first time he competed since being involved in a tragic car crash, which took the lives of two of his close friends.

The last time Joshua had challenged a recognized heavyweight before Saturday night was August 2024, in a world title knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois.

As for Fury, this was his second so-called 'tune-up' fight in 2026. In April, London was the setting as Fury ended an almost 18-month layoff against Arslanbek Makhmudov. Winning the bout via unanimous decision, it marked 'The Gypsy King's' first victory since 2023.

Recent activity from the two men means that they will both go into this year's bout on two-fight winning streaks. However, many in the boxing community feel excitement for the bout has dipped due to the performances from each man.

Both fighters are understood to have reached an agreement for the bout, but without an official venue or location, the fight is yet to be fully confirmed.

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