Fury and Joshua confirm Cardiff fight for 11 December at launch event
Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will fight at Principality Stadium in Cardiff on 11 December, with a 2am ring walk planned and a reported £150m purse.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will meet at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on 11 December, after contracts for the all-British heavyweight fight were signed and the pair appeared at a launch event in London.
The bout has been more than a decade in the making. Joshua first called out Fury in April 2016, soon after becoming world champion. Both men went on to win multiple world titles, but efforts to match them stalled over venues, money and Fury's repeated retirements. New York was discussed and Saudi Arabian backers made offers. The Cardiff date and venue are now confirmed.
A 2am ring walk is expected to suit US television audiences. The stadium has a retractable roof and has staged late-night events before. The Welsh Rugby Union is in talks with South Wales Police, Cardiff City Council and transport partners about extending the stadium curfew and moving around 80,000 fans safely in the middle of the night. Cardiff City Council says arrangements are still being finalised.
At the London launch, the two fighters traded jokes and banter rather than insults. Fury called himself 'the most awkwardly built World Heavyweight Champion in the history of sport' and said he would 'throw down'. Joshua said the fight had to be in the UK and described the event as a chance to create history. They faced off, but smiles were never far away.
Both men are in the late stages of their careers. Fury is 38 and Joshua is 36. Each has been world champion twice and each has lost twice to Oleksandr Usyk. Joshua was knocked down twice before winning by knockout in a warm-up fight earlier this year. The excitement around the bout is mixed with a sense that it has come later than fans hoped.
The purse is reported at £150m, with an estimated £75m for each boxer. The fight is also reported to be bankrolled by Saudi Arabian backers. After years of false starts, the fight is now set for Cardiff on 11 December, though the late-night logistics still need to be resolved.
Key details:
- Date: 11 December
- Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff
- Ring walk: expected around 2am for US TV
- Reported purse: £150m, around £75m each
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC One | ITV |
|---|---|---|
| Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are scheduled to fight at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on 11 December, with the bout possibly staged in the early hours for US TV audiences. | ||
| Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua held a launch press conference in London for their forthcoming fight. | ||
| Tyson Fury is 38, Anthony Joshua is 36, and the fighters are reported to share £150 million. | ||
| About 80,000 fans will need to be moved safely out of the stadium in the middle of the night. | · | |
| Anthony Joshua first challenged Tyson Fury in April 2016 after becoming world champion. | · | |
| Both fighters have been two-time world champions and have lost twice in title fights against Oleksandr Usyk. | · | |
| The Principality Stadium requires a curfew extension for the fight. | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Focused on the Cardiff venue and the practical hurdles of staging a late-night fight. It led with confirmation of the 11 December date and highlighted the need to extend the stadium curfew, manage 80,000 fans and satisfy US television. Its tone was excited but grounded in local logistics.
- “The eagerly awaited fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will take place in Cardiff on the 11th of December, it was announced today.”
- “it could be staged in the early hours of the morning for US TV audiences.”
- “getting around 80,000 fans out of this stadium and home safely in the middle of the night.”
Focused on the long wait and the significance of the fight finally being signed. It gave a timeline back to Joshua's 2016 call-out, noted previous venue problems and stressed the reported £150m purse. The tone was analytical, with studio questioning about what the moment means.
- “The fight's been years in the making. How significant a moment is this?”
- “those contracts have now been signed. Cardiff December the 11th is the date. A 2 a.m. ring walk to satisfy global audiences.”
- “there's so much interest in this fight, and proof of that is a reported 150 million pounds that the fighters are going to share.”
Covered the London launch event and the mood between the fighters, emphasising jokes rather than jabs. It also brought in Saudi backing, the reported purse and the fighters' own remarks. The tone was more colourful and celebratory than the other BBC bulletin.
- “Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua Traded jokes not jabs at a launch event in London”
- “the pair will share a reported 150 million pound fight purse.”
- “Both these men are former world champions But fury at the age of 38 and Joshua who's now 36 are nearing the end of their respective Glittering careers”
Focused on the press conference tone and the fighters' late-career context. It balanced the jokes and banter with doubts about their powers, their losses to Oleksandr Usyk and Joshua's recent knockdown. It also stressed the commercial scale and the estimated £75m each.
- “when Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury step into the boxing ring together in Cardiff in December, ferocious blows of course will be traded today though at the publicity event for the biggest fight in British boxing history. It was jokes and smiles that were exchanged.”
- “the estimated £75 million each boxer will make from the match-up.”
- “both failed twice in title fights against the all-powerful Ukrainian, Oleksandr Usyk”
Who was on air
People and organisations each channel put on air while covering this story. Channels' own presenters and reporters are not listed. Names as transcribed, and the list can miss people.
- 22:27 BST
Tyson Fury, British heavyweight
“The best man's gonna win because I ain't gonna run away.”
BBC News and Weather · Wed 30 Sept - 22:28 BST
Anthony Joshua, British heavyweight
“It's gonna be phenomenal and we're creating history”
BBC News and Weather · Wed 30 Sept
- 22:26 BST
Pep Guardiola, former Manchester City manager
“we will get through this together.”
ITV News at Ten · Wed 30 Sept - 22:27 BST
Tyson Fury, World Heavyweight Champion
“I stand here today as the most awkwardly built World Heavyweight Champion”
ITV News at Ten · Wed 30 Sept - 22:28 BST
Anthony Joshua, British heavyweight boxer
“Just do my part in the fight to make it great.”
ITV News at Ten · Wed 30 Sept
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.