Tyson Fury's surprise appearance at UFC Freedom 250 at the White House over the weekend sent shock waves through the combat sports industry. Fury hadn't been in the United States for five and a half years due to his relationship with alleged crime boss Daniel Kinahan, who used to be his adviser. Fury's presence alongside UFC CEO Dana White and President Donald Trump led to speculation that the two-time heavyweight champion may be working with Zuffa Boxing, which was founded by White and Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority.
Over the past few months, White has suggested that he would be involved in the upcoming heavyweight fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, a claim that Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, has vehemently denied. White teased Sunday that an announcement regarding the fight would be coming soon but did not elaborate further.
Fury's manager, Spencer Brown, made it clear that there was no contract signed between the emerging boxing promotion and the British heavyweight.
"I can categorically tell you that there's no contract with Zuffa with Tyson Fury," Brown said in an interview with combat sports reporter Gareth A. Davies.
Brown explained that Alalshikh was responsible for getting Fury back into the United States. Fury recently confirmed that Alalshikh will act as his promoter for the rest of his boxing career and will play a significant role in the logistics for Joshua vs. Fury.
As it stands, there is no date or location for the fight, which will reportedly take place on Netflix. Joshua is due back in the ring against Kristian Prenga on July 25 while Fury will take a tuneup fight against an opponent TBD before the two finally clash. Hearn told ESPN the plan was for the fight to take place in the UK in November with no Dana White or Zuffa Boxing involvement. While Brown thus far sees it the same way, he left the door open for the location to be negotiated.
"It's still all up in the air, but that would be a decision for Turkey Alalshikh and Netflix to make," Brown said. "Is Dana White involved? I don't know. You'll have to ask Turki. I haven't got a clue. We know what's written in our contract and Eddie knows what's written in his contract. If it's not that, the only way it can happen is if we redo a contract. But by all indications, it'll be a decision made by Turki Alalshikh, Eddie Hearn, the Warrens and, above all, the two fighters."
Zuffa Boxing, Matchroom Boxing and Queensbury Promotions did not respond to requests from ESPN for comment.