Fury Enters VADA Pool, Joshua Travels to London and the Press Conference Is Back On

# What happened A disagreement over drug-testing timing nearly stopped the first public face-off between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Joshua's camp expected both fighters to enter the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) testing pool immediately after signing contracts. Fury's side interpreted the requirement differently, saying testing would start once the fight was officially finalized.

Joshua flagged the dispute publicly, sharing what he said was a VADA email asking about Fury's enrolment and whereabouts. That put pressure on the parties and raised the possibility Joshua would remain in his Dubai training camp rather than travel to London.

By Monday evening the situation changed: reports say Fury enrolled with VADA and logged his whereabouts. With that step complete, Joshua is traveling to London and the press conference is back on.

# Why it mattered The press conference is the first live meeting for a fight that has been discussed for years. VADA enrolment mattered because it was the concrete condition Joshua used to justify appearing on stage. A missed launch would have been an early public sign of trouble between the two sides and could have affected momentum for the December 11 date.

Resolving the VADA issue removed the immediate obstacle to both men appearing together. It did not, however, resolve every disagreement around the bout.

# What's still unresolved

# Where and when The press conference is set for Wednesday, September 30, at 6 p.m. BST at the British Airways ARC at Olympia in London. Netflix Sports will stream the event on its YouTube channel. The fight itself is scheduled for Friday, December 11, at Cardiff's Principality Stadium, with Netflix carrying it worldwide.

# Practical takeaways

• Promotional control between Hearn, Alalshikh, and Dana White remains disputed and could affect who appears or how the event is promoted going forward.
• The press conference should provide the first official face-off and may clarify outstanding contractual questions, but it is not the final resolution of all disputes.

# Bottom line Both fighters are expected to appear in London after Fury completed VADA paperwork. The press conference will test whether remaining promotional disputes, particularly White's role, will be contained off stage or become a continuing point of contention before the December fight.