Tyson Fury Scrapped Dana White Clause, Calls Joshua ‘Stepping Stone’ To Usyk Trilogy

Tyson Fury has called Anthony Joshua a “stepping stone” towards a third fight with Oleksandr Usyk and claimed he removed a contractual restriction that would have prevented Dana White from helping to promote their December 11 contest in Cardiff.

Fury and Joshua are due to meet at the Principality Stadium in a fight pursued for more than a decade. Netflix will stream the event globally, with the main event expected to begin after midnight in Britain.

Speaking for the first time since the fight was confirmed, Fury predicted he would stop Joshua within seven rounds and portrayed the former two-time unified heavyweight champion as preparation for another meeting with Usyk.

“I’m going to box the head off him and stop him inside six or seven rounds,” Fury said on his Furocity YouTube channel. “I’m only using Joshua as a stepping stone, a warm-up to Usyk.”

Fury added: “Joshua, for me, is an old bum. A weightlifter. Too many weights, not enough speed. Too many weights, no cardio. So I’ll cut through him like a hot knife through butter.”

Fury lost twice on points to Usyk in Saudi Arabia in 2024, first by split decision and then by unanimous decision. Joshua has also suffered two decision defeats by the Ukrainian, who relieved him of his unified heavyweight titles in their first fight.

Despite the official verdicts, Fury maintains he won both of his contests with Usyk and wants a third meeting to be staged in the United States.

“I want Usyk. I want him in America, though, where I get a fair decision,” he said. “I won the first two fights, and I’ll definitely get a decision here, where it’s fair.”

Fury has targeted March for the proposed trilogy, but must first overcome a domestic rival whose willingness to face him he repeatedly questioned during the prolonged negotiations. Joshua declined to enter the ring for a face-off with Fury at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April, an episode Fury revisited after the Cardiff fight was announced.

“I always never ever believed I’d get him in the ring,” Fury said. “So getting him in the ring now is like Christmas has come early for me.”

He did, however, acknowledge the consequences for both men. “All the talking aside, honestly, we’re both going to get in there and both going to throw down. And I always say, look, may the best man win. If he knocks me out, I’ll shake his hand, and if I knock him out, I’ll shake his hand, either way.”

Dispute over White’s involvement

The venue and promotional structure were among the principal obstacles during negotiations. Joshua and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, pushed for the fight to remain in Britain, while Madison Square Garden in New York was also considered before the roofed Principality Stadium was chosen.

White’s involvement remains disputed. Hearn has said Joshua’s contract prevents White and Zuffa Boxing from promoting the event, but Netflix’s announcement stated that Turki Alalshikh’s The Ring and White would collaborate on the promotion.

Fury claimed a similar restriction had initially appeared in his own agreement before he had it removed.

“In Joshua’s contract apparently, it says that TKO and Dana couldn’t be involved,” Fury said. “That was in my [contract] but I took it out. I took it out so he could be involved.”

Fury’s account differs from an earlier statement by his British promoter, Frank Warren, who said in May that Zuffa could not promote the fight because of Fury’s contract. Hearn has maintained that Alalshikh subsequently told him White was not involved and said he would contact Netflix over the wording of its announcement.

White, meanwhile, has insisted he is participating on Alalshikh’s side rather than representing either fighter.

“Well, I think that the press release speaks for itself,” White told Sky Sports News. “I’ve been saying since the beginning of the talks of this fight that I was going to be involved in the promotion of it.”

Responding directly to Hearn’s position, White said: “I am not involved in either side of this thing. I’m involved on the Turki side.”

He added: “I’m sitting here promoting the fight right now. Who’s going to stop me?”

Hearn has claimed there have already been six contractual breaches and has cast doubt on whether the first face-to-face press conference will go ahead in London next Wednesday, September 30. The parties have yet to settle their public disagreement over White’s role and the event’s official billing before the promotion begins.