By Teddy Nwanunobi
Nigerian-British boxer, Anthony Joshua, on Thursday, revealed that the much-talked-about and long-awaited all-British heavyweight showdown between him and Tyson Fury will hold on December 11, at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
The revelation, which was made in an Instagram post, was confirmed on social media by the American streaming service, Netflix, which is set to broadcast the event, publishing the same flyer alongside the caption ‘Enough talk. Time to fight.’
The two boxers had earlier this year reached an agreement for the fight to take place in the last quarter of this year but dispute over the venue stalled the official announcement of the event until now.
Reports noted that the initial contract signed by Joshua required the fight to take place in the United Kingdom but Netflix wanted it in the United States.
As reported by BBC Sport, the fight will bring together two of Britain’s biggest heavyweight names, after both men came through their respective warm-up bouts in July.
Fury, 37, stopped 46-year-old Mariusz Wach in the seventh round in Pattaya, Thailand, in a bout staged before around 1,500 spectators and not broadcast on television.
Joshua, 36, endured a dramatic contest in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, recovering from two first-round knockdowns before stopping Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga in the second round.
The first knockdown came just 20 seconds into the fight, but Joshua recovered to secure victory.
The bout was Joshua’s first since surviving a car crash in Nigeria that claimed the lives of his close friends Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele.
After his victory, Joshua and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, had expressed a preference for the fight to take place at Wembley Stadium.
However, Joshua’s agreement with the Saudi organisers financing the event required the contest to be held in Britain, with a move to the United States requiring a renegotiation of the deal.
Hearn has described the Fury fight as hugely significant to Joshua’s career.
Speaking after Pat Brown’s victory over John Hedges on September 19, Hearn said Joshua’s “whole career comes down to this” fight.
“There is a desperation to win this fight and this is why sport is the greatest. I’ve never wanted to win a fight so badly,” Hearn said.
The December clash will finally see the two British heavyweights share the ring after years of negotiations and speculation surrounding a potential meeting.
Meanwhile, the announcement has divided opinion among netizens, with many welcoming the fight while others describing it as long overdue.
“AJ going down. Fury’s body can handle anything AJ throws at it without really flinching and Fury’s combinations will open AJ like a can of sardines. And we all know that jaws are made out of glass,” X user @Jeffalde2132 said.
Another user @MayKaren stated, “Now this is a fight fans have been waiting to see! What do you all think will be the biggest storyline going into Fury vs. Joshua?”
“Here we go! Really happy that it’s happening in the UK. Would have been a shame for UK fans not being able to watch because of the time it’s on,” @JohnBranniganUK commented.
Fans noted the bout’s delay with @itsjimbailey, saying “It’ll be almost 6 years too late when it happens. A fight means relatively little beyond a payday.
“When they were “must see” I’d have cared who won, now they’re both past their prime. It really doesn’t matter beyond ego.”
@heisenberg187 canvassed the same view, stating “December?? Plenty of time for Netflix to make plenty of money off promotion and for one of them to get “injured” so the fight is cancelled.”