Key points:
- Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua British heavyweight showdown set for Cardiff on December 11
- Fury-Joshua will take place late at night to suit U.S. broadcasters
- Turki Alalshikh announced the news today
The most eagerly awaited British heavyweight rivalries of all-time has finally been confirmed.
Anthony Joshua (30-4, 27 KOs) and Tyson Fury (36-2-1, 25 KOs) have agreed to fight in Cardiff, Wales on Friday, December 11 following lengthy negotiations over the location of their historic all-British heavyweight clash.
Joshua and Fury’s mega-fight will take place at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on December 11, live on Netflix, with expected ringwalks at around 2am early Saturday morning to suit American audiences.
The location of the fight had been a major stumbling block during ongoing talks over many months, with Turki Alalshikh and Netflix determined to place the all-British bout in America. Madison Square Garden became the frontrunner for the fight until attention recently turned to Cardiff, chosen above Wembley Stadium for it’s history and flexibility to host late night boxing events.
Fury took to social media on multiple occasions to blame the delay on Joshua, before even teasing a trilogy fight against Oleksandr Usyk, against whom both have lost twice, while Eddie Hearn insisted the occasion ought to be held in the UK.
The announcement
“For 15 years no one has been able to make this fight. Back in April, I said that any announcement would come from me,” Turki Alalshikh wrote on X.
“I can now confirm that Fury Vs Joshua will be coming to the UK, as I promised British boxing fans. The time for talking is over……..”
Fury vs Joshua
Fury and Joshua, both former heavyweight world champions, have had a long-running rivalry that’s stretched over many years, punctuated by callouts and trash talk but marred by the difficulty of ever actually finalising a deal.
Earlier this year the British boxing stars did sign to fight one another but months passed without a date or a venue being set. The wrangling intensified as taking the contest to New York’s Madison Square Garden became a possibility.
The fight appeared to be on the edge of collapse once again, with Fury threatening to seek alternative options, publicly calling out Usyk for a third fight.
But the all-British showdown has now been salvaged and finally has set a date for a UK stadium.
The Principality Stadium is no stranger to major UK boxing events. Joshua has fought there twice before, against Carlos Takam and in a unification with Joseph Parker.
Historically, the all-British heavyweight super-fight between Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno took place at the National Stadium in Cardiff, which preceded the Principality.
The main event is expected to take place in the early hours of the morning, just like Joe Calzaghe’s 2007 fight with Mikkel Kessler did at 2am.
As tortuous as negotiations for this super-fight have been, events in the ring also threatened to derail it.
Joshua’s tune-up bout in July almost ended in disaster when little-known Kristian Prenga knocked him down twice in the first round. Joshua rallied to dispatch the Albanian in the second round.
Fury’s road to the fight has also been unusual. He announced his retirement after losing a rematch to Oleksandr Usyk and, after a year out of the sport, began training in Thailand. In April he came back at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London when he soundly outpointed Aslanbek Makhmudov.
He decided he wanted his own additional warm-up in July and boxed Mariusz Wach in Thailand in a non-TV bout, eventually stopping the veteran ‘Viking’ after seven one-sided rounds.
But the long journey towards Fury vs Joshua is now in its final stretch, set to end finally on December 11 in Cardiff. Hopefully conclusively.
Early Odds
Tyson Fury – 8/15
Draw – 16/1
Anthony Joshua – 13/8
Fight outcome
Fury Points or Decision – 16/5
Fury TKO/KO/DQ – 13/10
Joshua by Dec/Tech Dec – 15/2
Joshua TKO/KO/DQ – 13/5
Fight to go the distance
Yes – 13/8
No – 4/9
Betfair spokesperson James Mackie said: “With the British boxing public having waited years for it to happen, the Fury vs AJ fight has finally been announced. Fury takes early favouritism, with odds of 8/15 compared to Joshua at 13/8 and the draw is 16/1.
“The fight going the distance looks unlikely for the pair who are both in their late thirties and it’s 4/9 to not reach the full twelve rounds. Fury to win by TKO/KO/DQ is 13/10, with AJ’s chances rated at 15/2.”