Fury vs Joshua Finally Confirmed for December 11 in Cardiff

After more than a decade of collapsed talks, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will finally share a ring. Saudi promoter Turki Alalshikh confirmed on 24 September 2026 that the two British heavyweights meet on Friday, 11 December, at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, with the event streamed worldwide on Netflix.

The Announcement From Riyadh's Boxing Chief

Alalshikh, the Saudi adviser who has bankrolled much of elite boxing in recent years, made it official on social media on Thursday, 24 September. The Associated Press, Reuters and ESPN all reported the date and venue the same day. Writing on X, Alalshikh said that "for 15 years no one has been able to make this fight."

The card is being promoted by Ring Magazine, which Alalshikh owns. ESPN reported that Dana White of the UFC and Zuffa Boxing is listed as a partner. Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter, disputed White's role straight away, and the friction between the two promoters has been part of the story ever since.

The two fighters met publicly for the first time as signed opponents at a news conference at the British Airways Arc in London on 30 September. ESPN described the tone as relaxed, with Fury needling both Joshua and Hearn while Joshua stayed calm.

Why the Fight Landed in Cardiff on a Friday

Where to hold the fight caused the last round of delays. According to ESPN, the Saudi entertainment company Sela and Netflix, who are paying for the event, wanted New York's Madison Square Garden so the timing would suit a global audience. Joshua, however, had written a UK venue into his contract earlier in the year, and he and Hearn held him to it.

Wembley Stadium was the sentimental favourite, but its strict 11 p.m. curfew made a late-night main event impossible. The Welsh government extended the curfew at the Principality Stadium, an 80,000-seat ground with a fully retractable roof that matters in December. Cardiff has hosted this kind of night before: ESPN noted that Joe Calzaghe fought Mikkel Kessler there in the small hours in 2007.

The choice cost money on both sides. Hearn told ESPN that Joshua gave up more than £10 million in purse to keep the fight at home, and Alalshikh said moving it away from New York cost him about £53 million. Netflix picked the Friday date partly because of its earlier success with a Friday boxing card, and partly to avoid three TKO-backed events on Saturday, 12 December. The ring walks are expected in the early hours of Saturday, UK time.

A Rivalry That Began in a Finchley Gym

The two men first crossed paths in June 2010, when a 21-year-old Fury and a 20-year-old Joshua sparred three rounds at Finchley Amateur Boxing Club in north London, according to ESPN's history of the rivalry. Since then the fight has almost happened several times. A two-fight deal agreed for 2021, when they held every major heavyweight belt between them, collapsed after an arbitrator ruled that Fury owed Deontay Wilder a third fight. A proposed December 2022 date in Cardiff also fell apart. In September 2024, plans for a 2025 meeting ended when Daniel Dubois stopped Joshua in five rounds at Wembley.

The obstacles in 2025 and 2026 were more personal. Joshua was injured in a car crash in Nigeria at the end of 2025 that killed two close friends from his team. Fury came out of retirement in 2026, outpointed Arslanbek Makhmudov in April and challenged Joshua, who was sitting at ringside, from the ring. He then beat Mariusz Wach. In July, Joshua got up off the canvas to knock out Kristian Prenga.

Two Former Champions, One Contested Belt

Neither man is the force he was. Fury is 38 and Joshua will be 37 on fight night, and both have lost twice to Oleksandr Usyk. Fury lost to the Ukrainian by split and then unanimous decision in Saudi Arabia in 2024. Even so, Hearn's father Barry, the Matchroom president, told the Press Association he expects a slugfest. He called both fighters vulnerable and said Joshua might be the more vulnerable but is the heavier puncher.

The reports disagree about whether a title is at stake. Reuters, citing Ring Magazine, reported that the fight will be for the vacant WBA "super" heavyweight title, and an ESPN news report repeated that Ring Magazine claim. A separate ESPN explainer said no belts would be on the line. As of this writing, ringtalk has not found a statement from the WBA itself, so the title status should be treated as unconfirmed.

Fury has already looked past Cardiff. On his own YouTube channel he called Joshua a "stepping stone" to a third fight with Usyk, which he wants in the United States in March.

Sources

• Fury vs. Joshua set for Dec. 11 in Cardiff, ESPN, 24 September 2026
• Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua fight set for December in Cardiff (James Robson), Associated Press via ABC News, 24 September 2026
• Boxing-Joshua and Fury to face off in Cardiff on December 11, Reuters via KSL, 24 September 2026
• Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua: Why Cardiff, why on a Friday, what's the start time, do fans still care?, ESPN, September 2026
• Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua timeline: The near-misses before fight finally agreed, ESPN, September 2026
• Fury: AJ is 'stepping stone' to Usyk trilogy, ESPN, 25 September 2026
• Hearn: Joshua took pay cut to fight Fury in UK, ESPN, 1 October 2026
• Hearn: AJ more 'vulnerable' but heavier puncher, ESPN, 2 October 2026
• Fury-Joshua news conference: As it happened, ESPN, 30 September 2026