London Mayor Sadiq Khan has indicated a willingness to extend Wembley Stadium's 11pm curfew to host the blockbuster heavyweight clash between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, currently slated for November. The fight, which is contracted to take place in the UK, faces a potential move to the US if a suitable time slot cannot be arranged.
Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh insists the bout must start at a time that suits a US audience, which could mean a 2am local start time similar to fights in the Middle East. Alalshikh plans to hold talks with Khan about relaxing the curfew to allow such a late start at Wembley.
A spokesperson for the Mayor said: “London is the sporting capital of the world and the Mayor is working to bring more of the world’s biggest events to the city. London has staged some of the biggest boxing events in recent history at Wembley Stadium, with record crowds of over 90,000 attending heavyweight contests including Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois and Tyson Fury vs Dillian Whyte.”
The spokesperson added: “Sadiq has made clear that London would be the perfect place to stage the long-awaited bout between Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury and the Mayor stands ready to support ambitions to bring the event to our capital as we build a better London for everyone.”
Both fighters must first win their respective warm-up bouts later this month: Fury faces Mariusz Wach on July 24, while Joshua takes on Kristian Prenga the following evening. Fury is then expected to travel from Thailand to Saudi Arabia for the showdown with Joshua.
