Darshan Desai Uncrowned Wed, Sep 30, 2026 · 2 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After more than a decade of waiting, boxing fans finally saw Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua share the stage at their launch press conference Wednesday at the British Airways ARC in London.
Fury and Joshua went face-to-face following the rowdy kickoff festivities, with Saudi fight financier Turki Alalshikh standing between them holding "The Battle of Britain" belt, which will be on the line Dec. 11 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
It is expected that Fury and Joshua will also have the opportunity to become three-time heavyweight champions, with the WBA (Super) title up for grabs, although that was not confirmed at Wednesday's launch press conference.
Fury, his promoter Frank Warren and manager Spencer Brown, alongside Joshua and career-long promoter Eddie Hearn, made up the stage, with Max Kellerman hosting the conference and The Ring's Rick Reeno also in attendance.
There was, however, one notable absence: Dana White.
White has long claimed to be the promoter of Fury vs. Joshua , an issue that saw the fight put in jeopardy prior to and even after it was announced this past week, but ultimately he was not present at the press conference, nor was he named as a promoter of the bout.
Alalshikh thanked White in his opening speech, which was booed by the London crowd, much to the delight of Hearn, who has enjoyed a very public battle with White that has dominated headlines in the lead-up to Wednesday's press conference.
Fury vs. Joshua is largely happening because Alalshikh and Saudi Arabia's SELA are financing the fight and taking a hit on the event, which Alalshikh said could've seen them get as much as $70 million in the red. Alalshikh's funding of major boxing events, however, may be on borrowed time.
"In the end, I am going. Today, tomorrow," Alalshikh said of his deteriorating health. "In the end, you are all making history here. I don't know in a couple of years [if] I will remember this moment or not. I have doubts about it now.
"My health in the last four months is not good. I come here only for the fighters. … I like the movie of Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, 'The [Bucket] List.' I have a wishlist in boxing, and I want to deliver it before [my health fails], when I can deliver it.
"Please help me to deliver it. Please, Eddie, Frank, Nick [Khan], everyone, help me to do it."
Source: Sports
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