Brunei's No.1 News Website

Rizal

World Sports (World Sports)

September 25, 2026

190

Image caption,
Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have not shared a ring since a sparring session in 2010

Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury will contest their long-awaited all-British heavyweight fight at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on 11 December.

The bout, more than a decade in the making, will be broadcast globally on Netflix.

BBC Sport understands the main event could take place in the early hours of Saturday morning in the UK, with organisers considering a late start to cater for audiences in the United States.

Joshua and Fury will come face-to-face at a news conference in London on Wednesday, 30 September, as the build-up begins to one of the most anticipated fights in British boxing history.

"I am inspiring a generation," Joshua, 36, posted on Instagram. Fury, 38, is yet to comment on the announcement.

The event is being promoted as a collaboration between Saudi boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh's The Ring and UFC chief Dana White.

"Two of the best heavyweights of this generation, finally in the ring together," Alalshikh said.

"This will be one of the biggest fights in boxing history. I am very happy to make this fight happen for the fans."

The former two-time world champions had already signed contracts for the bout earlier this year, but the date and venue had yet to be confirmed.

London's Wembley Stadium and New York's Madison Square Garden were the frontrunners to stage the fight, but both presented issues before Cardiff recently emerged as an alternative.

The Principality Stadium has hosted late-night boxing before, including Joe Calzaghe's fight with Mikkel Kessler in November 2007, which began at 01:00 GMT.

Welsh Rugby Union and Cardiff Council officials welcomed the fight, saying it would reinforce the city's reputation for staging major events and could bring a significant economic boost, although some operational details still need to be finalised.

Joshua had been pushing for the fight to take place in the UK and has got his wish.

"Forever indebted to the UK public for their support of Anthony Joshua. We couldn't have got this over the line without you," his promoter Eddie Hearn said.

It is notable that White, who fronts Zuffa Boxing, is involved in the promotion.

"For more than a decade, boxing fans have been clamouring for the heavyweight showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Together, they bring 66 wins, 52 knockouts and multiple heavyweight world titles into the ring," White said.

"On December 11, two of the biggest heavyweights of this generation finally collide - and the winner will take a significant place in heavyweight history."

There was no official statement from Hearn or Fury's promoter Frank Warren in the official news release sent by Netflix. Hearn had previously said he did not want White to be involved in promoting the fight.

A major fight in Cardiff taking place in the early hours might seem unusual, but there is precedent for UK events being scheduled around American television audiences.

Ricky Hatton's career-defining victory over Kostya Tszyu at Manchester's MEN Arena in June 2005 began at about 02:00 local time, allowing US broadcaster Showtime to show the fight on Saturday evening.

Less than a year later, Welshman Calzaghe's unification fight against Jeff Lacy at the same arena was staged at a similar hour. Calzaghe's 2007 victory over Kessler in Cardiff was also influenced by the US television schedule.

Mixed martial arts has gone even later. Michael Bisping's UFC title defence against Dan Henderson in Manchester in 2016 began deep into the night, with the fighters making their way to the octagon at about 04:45 local time.

When the UFC returned to Manchester in 2024, the UFC 304 main card began at 03:00 BST - corresponding with its traditional 22:00 start on the US east coast, with Briton Leon Edwards fighting Belal Muhammad in the main event just after 05:30.

The precise timing of Fury-Joshua has yet to be announced and promoter Eddie Hearn has played down suggestions it could begin as late as 03:00 GMT.

A ringwalk around 01:00 or 02:00 GMT would place the fight at 20:00 or 21:00 respectively on the US east coast.

For years, British boxing has debated who would win, watched negotiations collapse and wondered whether Fury and Joshua would ever actually share a ring.

Now, finally, there is a date and a venue. It's happening.

In many ways, the uncertainty of recent weeks was the Fury-Joshua story of the past decade in miniature.

In 2020, the two camps agreed the basis of a two-fight deal. In 2021, contracts were signed for an undisputed heavyweight contest, only for Deontay Wilder's successful arbitration case to force Fury into a third fight with the American. Then, in 2022, Joshua accepted a 60-40 split to challenge Fury, but that attempt also fell apart.

Joshua gets the British fight he wanted, organisers are given a stadium capable of staging a huge event in December and broadcasters can tailor it towards American audiences.

There is also an intriguing subplot in White's involvement. While it does not necessarily tell us who wielded the most influence behind the scenes, his involvement underlines just how many powerful figures were involved in finally putting this fight together.

What matters most for supporters is that Fury-Joshua will happen in Britain. There are some fights that are about more than purses, broadcast deals and site fees. This is one of them.

British fans have followed every twist: the world-title wins, the defeats, the comebacks, the rivalries and, above all, the failed attempts to make this contest.

Now they will have the chance to travel to Wales and say they were there. Tens of thousands will descend on the Principality Stadium for what will be one of the biggest nights British boxing has staged in years.

And somewhere among them may be a youngster attending their first fight, watching two of Britain's most recognisable sportsmen make their walks to the ring and deciding they want to lace up a pair of gloves themselves.

The fight may have arrived years later than many wanted but Fury-Joshua can still leave that kind of legacy.

SOURCE/AUTHOR : BBC NEWS/Kal Sajad, BBC Sport boxing journalist