Netflix faces headache as $200m Fury-Joshua fight at risk of falling apart

The Tyson Fury versus Anthony Joshua bout has been discussed for over a decade

The eagerly awaited boxing showdown between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury is in doubt, creating a potentially huge headache for Netflix because it would mean the loss of its biggest live event of the year.

On Friday, Fury claimed on social media that the fight was in jeopardy and Joshua was attempting to pull out.

His comments came just one day after it was officially announced that Netflix would exclusively broadcast the fight globally on December 11.

The fight is being put on by Saudi Arabian financier Turki Alalshikh, who serves as chairman of the General Entertainment Authority and president of the Saudi Boxing Federation. Also involved in the promotion of the fight is Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White, who has moved aggressively into the world of boxing in 2026 with his Zuffa Boxing banner.

The reason the fight is in jeopardy appears to centre around a dispute between Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, and White. Hearn has claimed White is not contractually allowed to be involved with the fight and raised questions as to why Netflix’s announcement included White’s name.

White has said he will be involved, as is the wish of Alalshikh, who is putting up a large part of the money. According to reports, the fighters will receive a combined purse of around US$200m.

On Saturday, when asked if the fight would go ahead as planned, White said: “I don’t know.”

Were the match to fall apart, it would be a meaningful blow to Netflix’s live events calendar for the end of the year, as well as undoing months of back-and-forth around the bout’s location.

There is the potential to find a replacement to face Fury, but the global appeal of the fight would likely be significantly dented given the match has been more than a decade in the making. It is not known how much Netflix is paying to exclusively stream the event, but a change to the participants would likely mean a significant change to the financial terms.

Live events have been an area of major focus and investment for Netflix for the past few years. The streamer revealed in July that live events will account for just over 5% of its total content spend in 2026, the equivalent of roughly US$1bn. Its sports business is led by VP of sports Gabe Spitzer.

This is not the first time Netflix has needed to roll with the punches since entering the world of combat sports.

YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul was supposed to fight Gervonta Davis last November, but that fight was scrapped after Davis’s ex-girlfriend filed a lawsuit accusing Davis of battery, kidnapping and false imprisonment. Joshua stepped in to face Paul on short notice, arguably making the fight even bigger, with the main event drawing 33 million viewers globally.

Other major live events streamed by Netflix in 2026 include The Roast of Kevin Hart, BTS The Comeback Live, Major League Baseball Opening Night, Tyson Fury vs Arslanbek Makhmudov and its first foray into mixed martial arts with Ronda Rousey versus Gina Carano. Later in the year, it will stream National Football League games on the day before Thanksgiving and on Christmas Day.