Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will fight in Cardiff on December 11, with more than 80,000 tickets set to go on sale this week. The cheapest seats, high up in the stands, are expected to cost £75, while prices for seats closer to the ring will be hundreds, if not thousands of pounds. VIP packages are expected to cost more than £1,000 minimum as the Principality Stadium prepares to host the heavyweight showdown.
Tickets on sale Friday with sell-out warning
Tickets are due to go on general sale on Friday, with more than 80,000 fans expected to descend on the Welsh capital for the December 11 fight. An email sent to fans by the Welsh Rugby Union confirmed tickets for the Battle of Britain at Principality Stadium will be live this Friday at midday and warned they are expected to sell out extremely quickly.
The email said: "The fight will decide one of the greatest unfulfilled boxing rivalries of the modern era. For more than a decade Fury and Joshua have dominated British heavyweight boxing, held world titles and headlined major events, yet they have never faced each other professionally, until now. We expect this to sell out extremely quickly, so be sure to set your alarms and keep an eye on your emails where we will send you the ticket link." Tickets will be available to purchase via Ticketmaster and wru.wales/tickets.
Fury compares fight to 'Thrilla in Manila'
Fury believes the fight has come at exactly the right time despite the lengthy wait to finally make the bout. Previous attempts to put the two British heavyweight stars in the ring have repeatedly fallen through, but Fury has rejected suggestions that the contest is happening too late in their respective careers. Instead, the former world champion has compared the fight to the famous third meeting between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in 1975, which became known as the 'Thrilla in Manila'.
"I don't regret anything because it's finally happening," Fury said. "It probably makes more financial sense now and that's what we're in this sport for. It's more money than it ever was before, plus the fact we've got the broadcasting giant Netflix streaming it and Turki Alalshikh has got an open chequebook. There's never been a better time to be the don of the division. And the fact it's happening in Cardiff – even better."
Fury is confident the fight can live up to the huge expectations surrounding it. "You got Ali v Joe later on in their careers – it was a great fight and I believe this will be a great fight, too," he added. "I believe it will be one of the biggest fights the world's ever seen and it'll live up to all the expectations."
Fury takes aim at Joshua
Despite offering to share a pint of Guinness with Joshua after the fight at Wednesday's launch press conference, Fury has also been taking aim at his fellow Brit. The 38-year-old questioned how well he knows Joshua away from the public eye before launching into a typically fierce assessment of his rival.
"I don't know him as a man," Fury said. "I only know him as the fake façade we see on TV or when he's doing interviews. I don't know anything about him at all behind the mask. Sometimes that slips now and again, but I don't know him as an individual, I don't know him at all. For me, he was never any good. He would never beat me in a million years in any time. When I hit him with that right hand, he's going to feel the full force of it, he's going to fall over in a heap. Before the bell goes, he'll be looking for a landing position on the floor somewhere."
The December 11 showdown is set to be one of the biggest sporting events Cardiff has hosted, with the Principality Stadium preparing for a capacity crowd.
