The biggest and most lucrative bout in British boxing history has finally been confirmed. Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are set to face off on Friday, December 11, 2026, at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
After a decade of frustration, near-misses and animosity, the all-British heavyweight battle is now scheduled. The fight was announced after further long negotiations concluded this week, with potential dates in November having been previously mooted.
Path to the Showdown
Fury was last seen stopping Polish veteran Mariusz Wach in the seventh round of a non-televised main event in Thailand in July, which took place in front of just 1,500 fans. It was the self-proclaimed 'Gypsy King's' second bout since ending a latest 15-month retirement from the sport that followed his rematch defeat by Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024, having seen off Russia's Arslanbek Makhmudov at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April.
The following day, Joshua recovered from two shock first-round knockdowns to quickly knock out Kristian Prenga at the Jeddah Superdrome in Saudi Arabia.
Time and Venue Details
The rare Friday night affair is said to avoid a clash with college football in the United States, which typically takes place on Saturdays. Organiser Turki Alalshikh wanted the bout to be watchable at a good time for television audiences in the US and elsewhere.
As such, he initially proposed the idea of an overnight card, taking place in London at 2am, to best suit the time zones across the pond. Wembley typically has an 11pm curfew for most weekend events and special approval would need to be granted to extend that into the early hours of the morning. That appears to be how Cardiff was raised as an option, with ring walks potentially remaining around 2am local time.
Given the fighters involved, Wembley Stadium was originally earmarked as the venue for the fight, before Madison Square Garden was mooted due to the American audience. Eddie Hearn, Matchroom Boxing chief and Joshua's long-time promoter, insisted that the bout would be held in the UK, telling DAZN during the summer: "Anthony Joshua insisted that the contract stated that the fight must be in the UK."
"If they want to change the contract, then we have to renegotiate the contract. Which, by the way, is not a problem. But it's a conversation we have to have," Hearn added. Joshua has got his wish, with the fight remaining in the UK. The Principality Stadium has previously hosted AJ's fights against both Joseph Parker and Carlos Takam.
"Forever indebted to the UK public for their support of Anthony Joshua. We couldn't have got this over the line without you," Hearn has said. The Principality Stadium has hosted late-night boxing before, including Joe Calzaghe's fight against Mikkel Kessler with a 1am ring walk back in November 2007.
