Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are set to finally meet in the ring on December 11, with their highly anticipated heavyweight clash scheduled to take place at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
The all-British showdown brings together two of the country’s biggest heavyweight stars after several attempts to make the fight failed over the years.
Joshua and Fury were initially expected to face each other in 2021 when both held major heavyweight titles. However, the proposed two-fight deal collapsed after Fury was required to honour his contractual obligation to face Deontay Wilder in a trilogy bout.
The two fighters subsequently pursued separate paths and both faced Oleksandr Usyk, who defeated Fury twice and Joshua twice.
Six years after their initial agreement, Joshua and Fury will now share the ring in Cardiff in what is expected to rank among the biggest fights in British boxing history.
According to The Sun, the bout could generate a £150 million ($198 million) prize pot, with neither fighter holding an A-side advantage in the purse negotiations. Joshua and Fury are therefore expected to receive £75 million ($99 million) each.
The reported earnings would represent a career-best payday for both boxers. SunSport reported that each fighter has previously earned around £65 million ($85 million) for a single bout.
The December fight could have produced an even larger financial return if staged in the United States, with Madison Square Garden in New York reportedly considered as a potential venue.
Joshua, however, insisted that the long-awaited contest had to take place in Britain.
“British boxing gave me everything; it changed my life,” Joshua told SunSport.
“I was going down the wrong path until I found Sean Murphy and Johnny Oliver at Finchley ABC.
“And then Team GB in Sheffield – and all the amazing coaches that worked every day for the love of the sport.
“Not the money – because there was no money.
“It was the UK or nothing.”
The bout could also become the final professional appearance for either fighter, with both men now in the later stages of their careers.
The contest will reportedly take place without a rematch clause, meaning neither boxer will be contractually guaranteed an immediate second fight.
