Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are finally set to meet, but the fight will take place in New York rather than London, a decision that has left British fans feeling short-changed.
In sporting terms, both men are damaged goods. Six years ago, Fury and Joshua held all four heavyweight world titles between them, and the stage was set for a two-fight series to crown the division's first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis. But Fury was instead forced to fight Deontay Wilder, and Joshua lost his belts to Oleksandr Usyk.
Now neither man holds a world title, and both are on the brink of retirement. They will fight for little more than pride, but most fans have long accepted that a clash between the British titans will not deliver what it once promised. They are willing to forget the past as long as both men put on a show.
Stadium fight tradition
Fans did at least expect that show to be staged in England. Ever since Carl Froch knocked out George Groves at Wembley over a decade ago, the country has been spoiled for stadium fights. Joshua has headlined Wembley four times, while Fury is no stranger to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn twice filled the Premier League ground last year. But those nights would have paled into insignificance when Fury and Joshua graced the Wembley turf. The idea that they will instead finally trade blows in New York is preposterous, and no matter how many times it is said, it will never make sense.
Venue dispute
The argument goes that Netflix, after initially agreeing to stage the fight in the UK, were suddenly spooked by an afternoon start time across the pond. But Joshua and Fury are no New York Knicks, and they are not Taylor Swift. It would be a challenge to find a New Yorker who believes their city should be hosting the biggest fight in British boxing history.
A compromise of fighting in the wee small hours at Wembley proved to be little more than hot air. The Mayor of London was in support but never approached. It was New York or nothing. And if Joshua and promoter Eddie Hearn had not dug their heels in, debate over the venue would by now be old news.
Time running out
But even their resolve has weakened. Hearn now accepts a deal is there to be done, and with the proposed November 20 date now just 13 weeks away, time is running out. Hearn will no doubt be compensated for ultimately relenting. Joshua and Fury will be laughing all the way to the bank.
But what about the British fans? There will be no reimbursement for a decade spent lining the pockets of their heroes. Even if every Madison Square Garden ticket goes to a visitor, 70,000 will still miss out. After years of frustration, some will say fans should be grateful the fight is happening at all. But when the first bell rings 3,000 miles away, it will be a hollow victory indeed.
