Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are near an agreement for a December showdown in Cardiff. Welsh officials are negotiating an extended venue curfew, potentially securing Principality Stadium over Wembley Stadium and Madison Square Garden to finally lock in the bout.
This heavyweight war is finally moving closer to the ring. Boxing insider reports confirm Cardiff is now the leading contender ” to host the bout on December 4 or 11, provided officials in the Welsh city sign off on an extended curfew, which had become a major issue for the originally agreed location, London’s Wembley Stadium. As you’ve surely heard by now, Turki Alalshikh — whose backing is paying for the massively expensive, long-overdue showdown — and Netflix have wanted the fight at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Matchroom/Joshua side had balked at this, having signed to fight in the UK. The latest word is that Cardiff, which was always sort of a darkhorse contender to host the fight, is the new frontrunner, and we may actually get this deal done and see the fight happen. Principality Stadium has a roof, so weather won’t be a concern for the fight itself. Joshua (30-4, 27 KO) has fought at the venue before, beating Carlos Takam there in 2017 and Joseph Parker in 2018. He’s 3-0 in Cardiff as a pro, having also defeated Dorian Darch at Cardiff International Arena in 2014. Fury (36-2-1, 25 KO) has never fought in Cardiff, but has stated repeatedly during the drama around this fight that he was willing to go anywhere. For what it’s worth, Fury’s team tell Sky Sports that three venues — Wembley, Cardiff, and probably MSG — are still in contention. At this point, I think it’s fair to say that most fight fans just want to hear that the fight is done, officially signed, has a location, has a date, ready to go, or that it’s not going to happen and we can all move on. It’s looking close based on these latest reports, but we’ve also heard that it’s ” close before.
The clock is ticking down. Cardiff’s Principality Stadium offers a key retractable roof, keeping this massive British collision dry from cold winter rain. But local curfew red tape remains the final hurdle. If Welsh decision-makers clear the path, fight fans will finally get ink on paper for the biggest bout in British boxing history.
