Anthony Joshua’s long-awaited fight with Tyson Fury has finally been confirmed for December 11 at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium – and it will save Joshua around £7.5million in tax.
It is understood each man will pocket around £75m for arguably the biggest bout to be staged on British soil after Joshua’s team, led by Eddie Hearn, succeeded in forcing the promotion’s Saudi backers to scrap plans to stage the showdown in New York.
Hearn initially pushed for Wembley Stadium, but the combination of a roof over the Principality Stadium and the Welsh government’s willingness to bend their late-night curfew swung the fight towards Cardiff. The ring walk is expected to take place around 2am to suit a US-based audience, in line with the demands of Netflix, which will broadcast the heavyweight showdown.
Although the delivery of the fight in Wales will be positioned as a victory for British fight fans, pragmatism around tax was also a key consideration in Hearn’s argument against Madison Square Garden in New York.
As Daily Mail Sport revealed earlier this month, the two fighters would have been taxed around 30 per cent of their purses in America, compared to 20 per cent in the UK, with Joshua particularly unhappy about the prospect of an extra £7.5m being added to his bill. The two-time world champion instead demanded that his contract be honoured, which stipulated a British-based fight.
Boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh said: ‘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. Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua. Years in the making. One night to settle it. December 11th. LIVE on Netflix.’
Netflix today confirmed the fight would be available ‘at no additional cost’ to subscribers. Their general membership pricing starts at £7.99 a month in the UK.
Bookmaker Betfair make Fury the early favourite to win, pricing him at 8/15. Joshua is priced at 13/8.
Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua has been announced for Friday, December 11
The roots of Joshua-Fury stretch back more than a decade, to when both men were emerging as Britain’s leading heavyweight prospects
Joshua tweeted: ‘I am inspiring a generation’, alongside an emoji of the British flag.
His promoter Eddie Hearn, who fought relentlessly to keep the fight in the UK, wrote: ‘WE DID IT. Forever indebted to the U.K. public for their support of Anthony Joshua. We couldn’t have got this over the line without you.’
Fury’s name appearing first on the card for the Battle of Britain will be an early win for the Gypsy King in his constant PR war with Joshua.
The pair had originally been pencilled in to fight on November 20 at Madison Square Garden in New York, but a determined push from Joshua and Hearn saw the contracts re-negotiated to bring the fight back to British soil.
Hearn had been adamant that British fans deserved the opportunity to watch two of the country’s biggest sporting stars go head-to-head at home, and fought hard to make that happen.
Fury, too, wanted the fight in the UK, but had been prepared to accept a move to America because of his concerns that the bout could once again slip away.
Now those fears, after ten years of frustration, have been put to bed. The fight will take place in Cardiff, with the later-than-usual start time expected to mean ring walks at around 2am UK time as organisers attempt to satisfy the American audience watching on Netflix.
Wembley had been the preferred venue for the showdown, but the major stumbling block was securing the necessary late-night permit.
With Netflix and Turki Alalshikh keen for the event to cater to viewers in the United States, organisers required a start time significantly later than would normally be permitted at Wembley.
Cardiff, however, was able to secure the required permit – clearing the final obstacle to bringing the fight back to Britain.
Cardiff’s Principality Stadium has come out on top to host the fight after weeks of negotiations
The scale of the occasion is already being felt in the Welsh capital, with hotels in Cardiff now understood to be sold out as supporters scramble to secure accommodation for one of the biggest fights in British boxing.
For Joshua, the move represents the culmination of a push to ensure the fight was staged in the UK.
The former two-times world champion and Hearn had been clear that, after years of watching British heavyweight stars travel overseas for major fights, Joshua-Fury belonged in front of their home crowd.
Fury was willing to compromise on the location if necessary, however, with his priority being to finally get the fight over the line.
The roots of Joshua-Fury stretch back more than a decade, to when both men were emerging as Britain’s leading heavyweight prospects.
Joshua won Olympic gold at London 2012 before turning professional, while Fury had already made his professional debut in 2008 and was building an unbeaten record of his own.
For years, the prospect of the two eventually sharing a ring became one of British boxing’s great hypothetical match-ups.
Fury’s stunning victory over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 elevated him to the summit of the heavyweight division, while Joshua was rapidly closing in on world-title status himself.
Joshua claimed the IBF heavyweight title by stopping Charles Martin in 2016 before adding the WBA and IBO belts to his collection. By 2017, Joshua-Fury had evolved from a fantasy fight into a genuine target. But the negotiations repeatedly broke down.
The closest it came to fruition was in 2021, when the two camps appeared to be on the brink of agreeing a two-fight deal.
The proposed showdown was publicly discussed and appeared to be edging towards reality, only for Fury to become contractually obligated to face Deontay Wilder after an arbitration ruling.
That fight ultimately took place, with Fury beating Wilder for a third time, while Joshua embarked on his own defining chapter against Oleksandr Usyk.
Joshua lost his WBA, IBF and WBO titles to Usyk in 2021 before suffering a second defeat to the Ukrainian in their 2022 rematch. Once again, Joshua-Fury seemed to drift further away. Then came another tantalising opportunity.
Negotiations accelerated in late 2022, with both camps discussing a potential December showdown, but the fight again failed to materialise. Fury moved on to other opponents while Joshua began rebuilding his career following the two defeats by Usyk.
The emergence of Alalshikh and the rapid expansion of Saudi Arabia’s influence over boxing created a fresh route to making the fight. And this time, the years of disappointment are finally over. The contracts have been signed. Joshua-Fury is no longer a fight being negotiated, teased or promised. It will take place in Cardiff on December 11.
