Cardiff’s Fury-Joshua showdown moves closer as cancellation fears ease

Nation.Cymru staff/agencies

Fears that Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight showdown in Cardiff could be called off have eased, with both fighters expected at a press conference on Wednesday.

The rivals are due to meet in London, ahead of their December 11 bout at the Principality Stadium, barring any late developments.

Fury and Zuffa Boxing boss Dana White warned over the weekend that the fight was in jeopardy amid a dispute between White and Joshua’s long-standing promoter, Eddie Hearn.

Hearn challenged White’s involvement after the UFC boss was officially named as a promoter alongside The Ring, owned by Saudi Arabian boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh.

White is now expected to miss the press conference, having also lost the argument for staging the contest at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Hearn and Joshua pushed for a UK venue. The Principality Stadium’s retractable roof made it a strong option for a December fight, while Wembley’s 11pm curfew presented difficulties for American broadcasters.

The Cardiff venue can accommodate around 80,000 spectators for the contest, which has been discussed for a decade but repeatedly failed to materialise.

Hearn signalled his confidence on Tuesday with an Instagram post referring to “Chapter 35” and the December 11 date. The fight will be Joshua’s 35th professional bout.

Fury is the odds-on favourite, although neither fighter arrives at the peak of his career.

Joshua has been knocked down six times across seven rounds in his two most recent outings against recognised opponents, Daniel Dubois and Kristian Prenga.

Fury has also struggled for form, labouring to victories over Arslanbek Makhmudov and Mariusz Wach since coming out of retirement earlier this year.

He now faces an opponent whose punching power remains a threat despite Joshua’s recent setbacks.

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