Cardiff Back In Contention For Anthony Joshua-Tyson Fury

Cardiff’s Principality Stadium has re-emerged as a possible venue for Anthony Joshua’s long-awaited fight with Tyson Fury, with November dates under discussion as efforts continue to keep the bout in Britain.

Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn told BoxingScene on Thursday that a UK fight remains “absolutely” in play, adding: “Lots of dates and venues [are] in play.”

Dan Rafael reported that November 28 at the Principality Stadium has been proposed, while The Times reported that November 20 is also under discussion and that Welsh government approval over the required stadium curfew could come within 24 hours.

The venue has been one of the main sticking points in negotiations. Joshua’s side have maintained that his agreement calls for the fight to take place in Britain, while Saudi promotion company Sela and Netflix had explored Madison Square Garden in New York.

Rafael reported that when one source involved in the talks was asked whether Netflix was now OK with the fight moving to Britain, the source replied: “I think they’re OK.” He added that the venue situation was expected to be resolved within the next couple of days.

Wembley had also returned to the discussions after Hearn publicly pushed for the fight to remain in London, but the proposed start time has complicated that option. Reports have suggested the fight could require a start of around 2am in Britain to suit the US broadcast window, creating problems with Wembley’s operating restrictions.

Cardiff has precedent for accommodating that type of schedule. Joe Calzaghe’s 2007 unified super-middleweight title fight with Mikkel Kessler began at around 2am local time at the Principality Stadium, aligning with a 9pm start on the US east coast.

The Welsh Rugby Union has already made clear that it wants the fight. A spokesperson told BoxingScene in August: “We’d be delighted to host this fight. We are very keen to attract more boxing to the stadium, which has a rich history in the sport, enhanced by its close-able roof, unrivaled sight lines and unique city centre location.”

Joshua has boxed twice at the venue, stopping Carlos Takam there in 2017 before beating Joseph Parker on points in 2018. Fury has never fought at the stadium.

The renewed Cardiff discussions follow several weeks of disagreement over a possible switch to New York. Matchroom submitted an addendum to Sela setting out the conditions under which Joshua would agree to fight in the United States, including compensation for the tax implications and settlement of the full purse from his fight with Kristian Prenga.

Hearn said previously: “We don’t want to do the fight in the US, but we also understand it has to work for everybody. At the same time, we’re basically being told, if you don’t do the fight, we only want to do the fight in the US, which we don’t agree with.

“We’ve been banging our head against the wall on that for the last two months. So, like I said, we’ve set out our position, mainly in concern to the tax situation that will deplete his net purse by going to America, which can be rectified.”

He later backed a return to Wembley talks, writing on social media: “I want to thank everyone for the unbelievable support! You have been heard and talks have now re-opened for Wembley. Let’s make history with one of the biggest sporting moments Britain has ever seen.”

Fury’s side has meanwhile warned that the negotiations cannot continue indefinitely.

Frank Warren told the Daily Mail: “Unless AJ commits by the end of next week, I’m afraid this will slip away like so many of those great fights which never happened.”

Fury also said he would consider other opponents for November if an agreement could not be reached, naming Agit Kabayel, Filip Hrgovic and Daniel Dubois among the alternatives.

Both heavyweights have already taken interim fights while negotiations have continued. Fury stopped Mariusz Wach in Thailand on July 24, while Joshua recovered from two first-round knockdowns against Kristian Prenga the following night before winning by knockout in the second round.

The Times reported that a press conference has been provisionally planned for next week if the Cardiff agreement can be completed, with approval over the proposed stadium schedule among the outstanding issues.