Eddie Hearn: Doping Tests Another Discrepancy in AJ and Tyson Fury Contracts

First it was the venue, then the date, and now it appears the doping test protocols in Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury's initial contracts also differed.

The two heavyweights are finally set to clash on December 11th at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, following nearly a decade of negotiations and postponements. The latest attempt to stage the fight proved turbulent, largely due to contractual discrepancies.

According to BoxingScene, Joshua's contract stipulated the fight must take place in the UK, while Fury's lacked such a requirement. The dates also failed to align.

Now, Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, claims there's another significant difference, this time concerning the doping control for the bout.

Hearn states that Joshua's contract, signed over three months ago, specified that both boxers should immediately commence drug testing. Joshua enrolled in the testing program, while Fury did not.

"The drug testing protocol was the same as it's always been included. It wasn't fully adhered to," Hearn told Boxing News after Matchroom's event featuring Pat Brown and John Hedges on Saturday. "I don't necessarily blame Tyson Fury for that, because I don't think, as we've found in many cases, that what's in AJ's contract is necessarily in Tyson Fury's contract. The testing was supposed to start when the initial contracts were signed, but it didn't happen for them. I don't think his contract stipulated that he had to start then. So I'm not saying he didn't enroll. I think he wasn't obliged to enroll. But in our contract, he was obliged to do so."

"These are minor things; there were many issues along the way with the contract that we overlooked and ignored because we want to stay in the fight and ensure it happens," Hearn continued. "The ones we weren't prepared to overlook, obviously 90 percent of them were related to the venue. TKO's involvement was also part of it, but it was primarily the location."

American outlet BoxingScene reported that Fury will "commence drug testing" once the fight is officially announced.

Hearn also revealed this isn't the first time there have been contractual inconsistencies when working with Turki Alalshikh and Sela. When Hearn represented Conor Benn for his two fights with Chris Eubank Jr. in 2025, there were also issues with the contracts.

"It just creates constant problems; we had it with the Eubank-Benn fight too," Hearn said. "As a small example, we were supposed to have the home dressing room for the fight, but Eubank had added to his contract that he gets the home dressing room. I know it sounds quite insignificant, but it creates big problems."

"Other things – who walks out first, who walks out second, so many different things. Even hydration, fines, and everything else. People are so desperate to get deals done that instead of doing them properly, they just say 'yes.' But what happens is, later on, it comes back to bite you."