By Dorcas Francis Koji
Cardiff’s Principality Stadium has emerged as a potential alternative venue for the long-awaited heavyweight showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, with the Welsh stadium reportedly prepared to meet the broadcast requirements that have complicated plans to stage the fight at Wembley.
The proposed all-British blockbuster remains one of the most anticipated fights in British boxing, but uncertainty over the venue and start time has threatened to derail the contest once again.
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, and the former two-time heavyweight champion have maintained that the agreement for the fight requires it to take place in the United Kingdom. Attempts to relocate the bout to Madison Square Garden in New York have reportedly faced strong resistance.
Netflix, which is expected to broadcast the fight, is understood to be keen to maximise its appeal to viewers in the United States. That would require a much later start time in Britain, potentially pushing the main event into the early hours of the morning.
Wembley Stadium is unlikely to be able to accommodate such a schedule because of its strict curfew regulations. Principality Stadium, however, is reportedly willing to host a fight with a start time of around 2am in the UK.
The Cardiff venue, formerly known as the Millennium Stadium, could also offer another advantage for a proposed November date, with its retractable roof providing protection against adverse weather conditions.
Joshua’s contract has reportedly included a clause requiring the fight to be staged in Britain, making a move to the United States difficult. Hearn has previously suggested that renegotiating the agreement, including increasing Joshua’s purse to compensate for potential tax implications, could provide a solution.
Despite the continuing uncertainty, Fury’s representative Spencer Brown has maintained that the blockbuster remains on course.
However, concerns remain because the Fury-Joshua fight has previously come close to being finalised before collapsing at different stages.
While negotiations continue, Joshua has returned to training at Ben Davison’s Essex gym as he waits for the venue and other outstanding details to be resolved.
The 36-year-old parted company with Davison after his September 2024 defeat by Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium. Joshua subsequently joined Oleksandr Usyk’s training setup in Spain, where he spent the following months working alongside the Ukrainian heavyweight’s team.
The emergence of Principality Stadium as an alternative could now provide a potential solution to the venue and broadcasting impasse, keeping alive hopes of finally seeing two of Britain’s biggest heavyweight stars share the ring.
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