.jpeg?width=1200&auto=webp&crop=3%3A2)
Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury will finally meet in the ring after their all-British showdown was confirmed for December 11.
The two heavyweights will meet under the roof of Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, when a rivalry well over a decade in the making will be settled.
Although both fighters won warm-up bouts in July, this fight had been in some jeopardy due to disagreements over where it would be staged.
Joshua’s contract with the Saudi organisers made it clear that the fight had to take place in the UK, and would have to be renegotiated if it was moved elsewhere.
Let them shout first, the wisest wait until the final move
Anthony Joshua
There was a push for it to be held in Madison Square Garden, but Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn demanded that the fight remain in the UK.
They have got their wish, with Cardiff chosen for an event that will be shown on Netflix at no extra cost for subscribers to the platform.
Joshua posted on social media: “The quietest ones often pull the strings. Those who appear least involved may hold the greatest control. Let them shout first, the wisest wait until the final move. Yours truly, Anthony Joshua.”
A tweet alongside the fight poster added: “I am inspiring a generation.”
It is a fight a long time in the making. An agreement was reached between the two in 2020 and contracts were signed a year later, only for Deontay Wilder to force a third fight with Fury after an arbitration case.
In 2022, Fury proposed a 60-40 purse split in his favour and Joshua accepted those terms. However, Fury then declared that Joshua had missed his deadline for signing the contract.
With both nearing the end of their careers and options for big paydays limited, the bout has now finally been agreed.
Joshua returned to the ring in July for the first time since a car crash in Nigeria that resulted in the deaths of two of his closest friends.
The 36-year-old was twice knocked down in the first round but recovered to stop Kristian Prenga in the second round.
Fury, meanwhile, went seven rounds with 46-year-old Mariusz Wach a day earlier.
That was only the second time he has fought since he lost a second fight to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024.
Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, said: “For 15 years no one has been able to make this fight.
“Back in April, I said that any announcement would come from me. 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.”
Hearn posted: “WE DID IT. Forever indebted to the UK public for their support of Anthony Joshua. We couldn’t have got this over the line without you.”
