The long-awaited heavyweight meeting between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua is reportedly moving closer to reality, with Cardiff emerging as the likely destination for the December 11 showdown.
The Principality Stadium is being lined up to host the contest, although the fight has not yet been formally announced.
According to reports citing veteran boxing journalist Dan Rafael, December 11 has become the preferred date after November 28 and December 4 were previously considered.
Fury is reportedly expected to give final approval to changes made during the negotiations, after which an official announcement and press conference could follow.
The proposed event could extend into the early hours of December 12, with the main fight expected around 2am UK time to accommodate Netflix and its American audience.
That timing has created a venue issue because the Principality Stadium normally operates with a 10:30pm curfew. Wembley Stadium, which was also considered, has an 11pm curfew.
An exemption from the Welsh Government is reportedly being considered, although it had not been approved at the time of the reports.
The Cardiff venue has previously staged major boxing events that ran late into the night, including Joe Calzaghe’s 2007 victory over Mikkel Kessler.
US venue rejected over Joshua’s UK contract
The location became one of the biggest sticking points in the negotiations.
Madison Square Garden in New York was reportedly favoured by Turki Alalshikh, Netflix and UFC president Dana White, with November 20 among the dates considered for a US-hosted event.
The thinking, according to reports, was that staging the fight in New York could deliver a larger American audience and greater commercial returns.
However, Joshua’s contractual position reportedly requires the fight to take place in Britain, with the former world champion and promoter Eddie Hearn refusing to abandon that condition.
Hearn told iFL TV that Joshua could potentially have earned more by fighting in the US but insisted that the existing agreement had to be respected.
“That is why, unfortunately for these people, the fight will not be taking place in America, because Anthony Joshua is not a sell-out,” Hearn said.
He also rejected White’s criticism that he had been responsible for delaying the fight.
“Dana White has tried to get involved in a fight that he has nothing to do with. All we have ever done is say, ‘We have signed our contract. Just honour the contract that we have signed,’” Hearn said.
Fury, Joshua rebuild after setbacks
Fury enters the proposed contest with a record of 36 wins, two defeats and one draw.
The former heavyweight champion suffered back-to-back defeats against Oleksandr Usyk in 2024 but has since returned to winning ways, defeating Arslanbek Makhmudov in April and Mariusz Wach in July.
Joshua, meanwhile, has 30 wins and four defeats as a professional.
He suffered a knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois in September 2024 before recovering with a sixth-round stoppage of Jake Paul in December 2025.
He followed that with a second-round stoppage of Kristian Prenga in July, although he was reportedly knocked down twice in the opening round.
With Cardiff now reportedly leading the race to host the contest, interest around the proposed Fury-Joshua fight is already building, with reports of limited hotel availability around the Principality Stadium for the weekend.
