The heavyweight grudge match between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury could take place at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium following venue disputes surrounding the proposed United States location.
While New York’s Madison Square Garden had been highlighted as a potential destination for the November 20 bout, Joshua’s contract contains a specific clause requiring the fight to be staged in the United Kingdom.
Efforts by Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh and broadcaster Netflix to host the event in the U.S. have met pushback from Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, who maintains that the contractual terms must be respected. Hearn recently threatened legal action against TKO Group Holdings—the parent company of UFC and Zuffa Boxing—over attempts to move the fight to American soil.
Consideration for London’s Wembley Stadium faltered due to Alalshikh’s requirement for a 2:00 AM start time, which conflicts with Wembley’s strict 1:00 AM event curfew.
Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, which features a retractable roof and an 80,000-seat capacity, has consequently re-emerged as the primary UK candidate after submitting a bid in July.
“We’d be delighted to host this fight,” a spokesperson for the Welsh Rugby Union stated. “We are very keen to attract more boxing to the stadium which has a rich history in the sport, enhanced by its closable roof, unrivalled sight lines and unique city-centre location.”
The Cardiff venue previously hosted Joshua’s world title defense against Carlos Takam in 2017 before an audience of 78,000, as well as his unification bout against Joseph Parker in 2018.