Luke Littler Calls Out Eddie Hearn After Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury Date Confirmed
Luke Littler has found himself caught in an unusual sporting scheduling battle, and this time there is no opponent standing across the oche.
The reigning world champion has reacted angrily after Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury were finally given a confirmed date for their long-awaited heavyweight showdown — December 11. The problem for Littler? That is also the opening night of the PDC World Darts Championship, when he is due to begin his title defence at Alexandra Palace.
For a darts player who has become one of the biggest names in British sport, this is hardly an ordinary scheduling clash. Littler is not simply another player appearing somewhere on the opening-night card. He is the defending champion and is expected to headline the first night of the tournament.
And his reaction to the decision was pretty clear.
Littler Takes Aim At The Hearns
Littler took to Instagram after the Joshua-Fury announcement and directly addressed Barry and Eddie Hearn, who are involved in the running of the PDC as well as the boxing world.
His message was blunt: “A message to the Hearns, what is this?
“Opening night of the World Championship (world champion plays on opening night 11th December) and you put one of the biggest fights in Britain on the same night.
“You had one job.”
There is not much ambiguity in that message. Littler clearly believes the scheduling creates an unnecessary conflict, particularly because he is the reigning world champion and is scheduled to play on the tournament’s opening night.
From a fan’s perspective, it is easy to understand why he is annoyed.
Joshua vs Fury is not just another boxing event. It is one of the most anticipated British heavyweight fights in years, and after months of uncertainty, the December 11 date has finally been locked in.
The Fight Is Finally Happening
Joshua and Fury will meet at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on Friday, December 11, with the fight being broadcast globally on Netflix.
The announcement finally ended a long period of uncertainty surrounding the contest. The fight had previously been linked with November 20 and a potential event at Madison Square Garden in New York, but negotiations became complicated by disagreements over where the bout should take place.
Joshua’s contractual position required the fight to take place in Britain, while American interests had pushed for a U.S. venue. Cardiff eventually emerged as the solution, with the Principality Stadium offering a roof and allowing the event to remain in the United Kingdom.
That decision solved one problem but created another.
The PDC World Championship is also beginning on December 11, meaning British sports fans could potentially have to choose between one of the biggest boxing events of the year and the opening night of darts’ biggest tournament.
And Littler is right in the middle of it.
Littler’s World Championship Night
The timing is particularly awkward because Littler is not expected to sit somewhere in the crowd watching other players.
He is the defending champion.
The 19-year-old became the youngest PDC world champion when he won the title and has since established himself as the central figure of the modern darts boom. His opening-night appearance at Alexandra Palace is therefore a major part of the tournament’s appeal.
The scheduling information currently has Littler beginning his title defence on the opening night, with the World Championship taking place at Alexandra Palace from December 11 through January 3.
That creates an especially strange situation because Littler is also a well-known boxing fan.
Ordinarily, a fighter such as Fury or Joshua appearing in a major British sporting event would probably be something Littler would want to watch. Instead, he could be preparing to walk onto the Ally Pally stage at almost exactly the same time the boxing world is preparing for its main attraction.
There Is A Possible Way Around It
There is one important detail that could soften the clash.
The Joshua-Fury main event is expected to take place very late in the United Kingdom because the event is being built for a global Netflix audience, particularly viewers in North America.
Eddie Hearn previously played down speculation that the fight would begin as late as 3am in Britain, saying: “People talk about a 3am BST fight? I don’t think you’ll see the fight that late.”
He also acknowledged that discussions had taken place with the Principality Stadium about what was possible.
Current reports suggest the ring walks could happen around 1am UK time, although the precise start time has not been finalised.
That means Littler could potentially complete his opening-night match before the heavyweight main event begins.
But that does not completely solve the issue.
The Bigger Problem For British Fans
The clash is bigger than Littler himself.
The PDC World Championship attracts huge attention during the festive period, while Joshua vs Fury is being positioned as one of the biggest boxing spectacles of the year.
Both sports have spent years building enormous British audiences, and putting their headline events on the same night inevitably divides attention.
There is also an interesting twist involving Hearn.
He is not simply a boxing promoter connected to Joshua. Hearn’s family is also closely connected to the wider PDC operation, making Littler’s message particularly pointed.
That explains why his post landed differently from an ordinary complaint about a busy sporting calendar.
Still, it would be unfair to suggest the entire scheduling decision was simply made to inconvenience darts. The Joshua-Fury negotiations involved promoters, broadcasters, venues and international commercial considerations, and the final date came after months of uncertainty.
What Happens Next?
The fascinating part will be seeing how fans handle the clash.
For Littler, the priority will obviously be his own world-title defence. Whatever happens with the boxing schedule, he cannot afford to allow the surrounding attention to distract from what is happening on the oche.
For fans, however, the night could become one of the most unusual sporting evenings of the year.
Imagine Littler beginning his World Championship campaign at Alexandra Palace while thousands of fans are simultaneously counting down to Joshua and Fury finally sharing a ring.
The scheduling may not have been intended as a storyline, but it has created one.
And perhaps that is the biggest irony here. The Joshua-Fury fight has taken years to reach the finish line, while Littler’s frustration has arrived almost instantly.
December 11 now has two enormous sporting stories attached to it: the return of the heavyweight rivalry everyone has been waiting for, and the beginning of Littler’s attempt to defend his world crown.
Whether fans see the clash as an unfortunate coincidence or a scheduling mistake, one thing is certain: British sports fans are going to have a very busy night.
And after Littler’s “You had one job” message, the question is obvious — did the Hearns get this scheduling decision badly wrong, or is Littler simply unlucky that two huge sporting events landed on the same night?