CARDIFF — Frank Warren says Dana White and TKO had a big behind-the-scenes involvement in finally making the long-awaited heavyweight showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in Cardiff, a fight that had escaped inception for a decade amid disputes over venue and promotion.
The issues holding up the contest in recent months were over where it would take place and who should promote it. Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn argued it should take place in Britain, while everyone else, including Fury, seemed keen on taking the fight to the United States. Hearn was also adamant that White could have no involvement — as stated in a clause in the original contracts of both Joshua and Fury. Hearn and White have gone back and forth trading jibes in interviews, while Warren stayed quiet behind the scenes, with White showing mutual respect for Warren despite his frequent expletive-laden responses about Hearn.
“Well, I wish he hadn’t announced our engagement, but it's come out now. I was trying to keep a lid on it,” Warren joked when asked about White’s move into boxing. He added, “He and TKO have had a big involvement behind the scenes in the fight in Cardiff. And that's it. I have no problem [with them being involved].” Warren acknowledged the contractual language but deferred to his fighter: “It's in both the fighters' contracts that there'd be no TKO involvement or Dana White, but the bottom line is for us, for Tyson, if Tyson's happy, I'm happy. I have no problem with it whatsoever.”
Warren, who spent years trading barbs with Hearn before their recent reconciliation, admitted he has enjoyed watching his former rival feud with White from the sidelines. “It's always a bit of fun, isn't it? I mean, it's sort of great. It's all on the sort of outside,” he said. “It adds to all the tensions and I mean everyone loves all the sound bites and all the stuff backwards and forwards, but at the end of the day, you can't sell tickets for promoters arguing with each other.” He added, “When they go to watch a fight everybody's looking in the ring. They ain't looking nowhere else. All they're interested in is the guys in the ring.”
Warren, who has cemented himself as the leading promoter in the UK in the last few years, plans to make his mark in the United States in 2027 and said the positive relationship with White can coexist with competition. “I mean, like he said, he likes competition. We like competition,” Warren said. “No one's more competitive than us, but we do it quietly. We get on with it. At the end of it all, your proof is in bums on seats. This year the fights we've had and got coming up, sellout shows, that is what you judge promotion on. And that speaks for itself where we're at.”