What To Know
- After months of speculation and rumors, the long-awaited fight between former world heavyweight champions Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua is officially set.
- The fight will take place on Friday, December 11 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
- Fury vs Joshua will air on Netflix in the U.S., free to subscribers.
Never was a fight promotion given a more fitting name: Finally.
Months of rumors, accusations, shady statements, and lines in the sand crossed the net back and forth like a good tennis rally. Eddie Hearn, Anthony Joshua, and Matchroom Boxing made the winning shot. Call it a drop shot over the net.
Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will meet in a long-awaited showdown between two British former heavyweight world champions on UK soil, not in New York as originally proposed. The fight date is set for Friday, December 11, at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
American fans will see the fight card on Netflix, at a prime-time friendly schedule in the U.S. It means the main event will take place in the early hours of Saturday morning in Cardiff.
Hearn and Joshua Held Firm
Hearn and Joshua held firm that UK fight fans deserved to see this bout on home soil, whether in London at Wembley Stadium or Principality Stadium in Cardiff. The people with the money, including the Saudi General Entertainment Authority and Netflix, wanted the fight to take place in a time zone friendly to American Netflix subscribers. Never mind that U.S. fans are lukewarm at best about this fight.
A fight announcement was teed up after Fury’s April win over Arslanbek Mahkmudov. But in a cringeworthy episode, Joshua balked at getting in the ring or engaging with Fury.
It came down to Joshua and Hearn refusing to give in, backed by Hearn’s assertion that the contract Joshua originally signed stipulated the UK as the fight location. Fury and his promoter, Frank Warren of Queensberry, suggested the fight take place in Ireland but were agreeable to an MSG fight.
Hearn discussed Fury vs Joshua on the Matchroom Boxing YouTube feed.
Fury vs Joshua: Biggest Fight in 2026?
The wrangling wore fans and boxing media out. And this wasn’t the first attempt to put this fight together. But much like other mega fights left in the oven too long (Mayweather vs Pacquiao being the prime example), fans will finally get this matchup with the ingredients nearly past their “Use By” dates.
But in 2026, it’s the biggest commercial fight in boxing. Experts (including me) will argue that Naoya Inoue vs Bam Rodriguez or even a dream fight between Jaron “Boots” Ennis and Terence Crawford are arguably bigger. Throw David Benavidez vs Jai Opetaia into the mix if you like. But it’s called prizefighting for a reason.
Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury will meet face-to-face at the kickoff news conference on Wednesday, September 30 in London. The undercard will be announced at a future date, described as a “star-studded undercard with marquee fighters from around the world.”
Count on Welsh fighter Joe Cordina to be named to the card. Hearn would like to see Cordina face American Abdullah Mason. Also rumored is a possible appearance by Shakur Stevenson. American champions would soften the blow to Netflix.
“Two of the best heavyweights of this generation, finally in the ring together,” said Turki Alalshikh, owner of Ring magazine who was among the key players putting the fight together. “This will be one of the biggest fights in boxing history. I am very happy to make this fight happen for the fans.” Although Alalshikh wanted the fight to take place in the U.S. at Madison Square Garden (and made no secret of it), it’s now smart for him to get behind this upcoming event in Cardiff.
AJ Stays True To His British Fans
Now that Netflix, Alalshikh and SELA, and Fury have given in, it positions Joshua and Hearn as the power players in this relationship. Joshua’s value to the matchup and the support he received from British fans and the boxing community for standing firm gave him control over the event.
“Fury vs Joshua is a fight years in the making between two of boxing’s biggest stars. It has the rivalry, the stakes and the scale to capture the attention of sports fans around the world,” said Netflix VP Gabe Spitzer. “Bringing massive live moments like this to a global audience is exactly what we want to do at Netflix, and we can’t wait for members everywhere to experience it live.”
Principality Stadium is smaller than Wembley Stadium, with a capacity of 80,000. But it has two advantages: no nightly curfew (although London officials said they were willing to offer a waiver), and a retractable roof to prevent late fall weather from ruining the fight. But there’s no heating or cooling inside Principality Stadium. It will be dry, but it might be chilly when main event ringwalks take place at 2 a.m. local time.
Joshua has fought twice at Principality Stadium in 2017 (against Carlos Takam) and 2018 (against Joseph Parker). He scored two solid wins at the peak of his career. Fury has never appeared there. MSG is the site of Joshua’s devastating loss to Andy Ruiz Jr., although he got his revenge by beating Ruiz Jr. in the rematch at MSG several months later.
But the squabbling over the fight isn’t over due to the promoter subplot.
Score: Hearn 1, White 0
According to Alalshikh, Zuffa Boxing promoter Dana White will be involved in promoting the fight. White claimed he was involved in negotiating the deal with Netflix and MSG, and has insisted he will be the promoter of the fight prior to today’s announcement.
Hearn has consistently pushed back, saying his contract on behalf of Matchroom and Joshua makes it clear White cannot be involved. No one has confirmed this arrangement.
The formal announcement quoted Dana White. Not Eddie Hearn, and not even Frank Warren.
“For more than a decade, boxing fans have been clamoring for the heavyweight showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua,” said White in the statement. “Together, they bring 66 wins, 52 knockouts and multiple heavyweight world titles into the ring. On Dec. 11, two of the biggest heavyweights of this generation finally collide and the winner will take a significant place in heavyweight history.”
Cue Eddie Hearn, who did not hold back in an interview on Thursday with Britain’s ITV.
This discussion is far from over. The bad blood between White and Hearn represents the existential battle underway for the soul of professional boxing between Dana White and Zuffa and the rest of the boxing world. It’s about far more than one card.
Should Hearn and White both show up at next week’s news conference, expect just about anything to happen. For now, the score is Hearn 1, White 0.
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist with more than four dozen awards for both written and video coverage from the Boxing Writers Association of America, Society of Professional Journalists, and San Diego Press Club, where she is the past president. She is the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the BWAA. She is the Boxing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.
