Cardiff‘s Principality Stadium now looks set to be the unlikely winner of the venue war for boxing’s biggest fight – by hosting Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury in the early hours of the morning.
The Welsh government could today approve lifting the stadium’s 10.30pm curfew to host the fight – stepping in after rows over holding it at Wembley Stadium or Madison Square Garden in New York.
Cardiff has history of hosting late-night boxing. Joe Calzaghe fought Mikkel Kessler at the Principality in 2007 at 2am. Fury and Joshua could fight at a similar time to satisfy broadcaster Netflix‘s huge audience in the United States.
Netflix had wanted the fight in New York to suit their prime timezones, while Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn pitched Wembley to host under the guise that Britain’s biggest fight of the century should be hosted in the UK – and he has refused to budge unless contracts are rewritten with upgraded financial offerings.
Cardiff now appears to be the compromise. The Principality Stadium has an 80,000 capacity and a retractable roof – unlike Wembley – which could be useful in late November. A date of Friday, November 20 has been mooted.
The Times report a press conference is tentatively scheduled for next week pending the Welsh government’s approval.
Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua could now be set to fight in Cardiff, Wales in November
Joshua and his camp wanted the fight in the UK – while broadcasters Netflix wanted a US host
Wembley looked an ideal venue for the fight but the strict 11pm curfew has been a sticking point, despite London mayor Sadiq Khan saying he wanted to ensure allowances were made to host the fight.
Boxing dealmaker Turki Al-Sheikh has been insistent on a start time of 2am.
Netflix have been running advertisements for Fury-Joshua as recently as Thursday night, clearly confident an agreement will be struck.
The streaming giant has yet to sign off on Cardiff but American sportswriter Dan Rafael last night reported he had asked Netflix if they would approve, with a source telling him: ‘I think they’re OK.’
A spokesperson for the Welsh Rugby Union said: ‘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 closable roof, unrivalled sight lines and unique city-centre location.’
Joe Calzaghe trains at the Principality Stadium before his 2am fight there in 2007
Joshua has fought in Cardiff twice previously, beating Carlos Takam and Joseph Parker in the Welsh capital in 2017 and 2018.
While Joshua has left Hearn to do the talking on his side of the deal, Fury has been publicly speaking and threatening that the heavyweight contest will be called off.
This week he suggested he will no longer be fighting Joshua in another social media rant as rows over the location and contract surrounding the fight continued.
‘So it looks like AJ has s*** his pants yet again,’ Fury said on social media on Sunday. ‘After 11 years, he’s finally s*** his pants yet again.’
Last week, Fury, who regularly takes to social media to express his views on potential opponents, was keen to make clear he feels Joshua is not motivated by a love of his country. Earlier this year Daily Mail Sport revealed Joshua had in fact quit the UK to move to Dubai – even as thousands tried to flee amid rising panic in the Middle East warzone.
And Fury, a tax exile to the Isle of Man himself, brought up a 2020 speech at a Black Lives Matter march, where Joshua read out a letter from his friend Reece Campbell to urge attendees to stop spending money with white-owned shops and businesses.
‘Show them where it hurts’, Joshua had said. ‘Abstain from spending your money in their shops and economies, and invest in black-owned businesses.’
Fury re-posted the video of the speech, writing: ‘This is the man who loves England, absolute s*** bag! Total piece of s*** bully with zero guts! Don’t let them deceive you! & Living in Dubai.’
Provided Cardiff hits no further stumbling blocks, the Welsh capital may now offer the solution to get the fight on at last.
