Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are set to face each other in a highly anticipated all-British heavyweight contest at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on December 11.
According to BBC Sport, the fight will bring together two of Britain’s most prominent heavyweight boxers after both fighters secured victories in their respective comeback bouts in July.
Fury, 37, stopped 46-year-old Mariusz Wach in the seventh round in Pattaya, Thailand. The contest was held in front of approximately 1,500 spectators and was not televised.
Joshua, 36, was involved in a dramatic bout in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he recovered from being knocked down twice in the opening round before stopping Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga in the second round.
The first knockdown came just 20 seconds into the contest, but Joshua recovered quickly and went on to secure the victory.
The fight marked Joshua’s first appearance since he survived a car accident in Nigeria that resulted in the deaths of his close friends Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele.
Following his victory, Joshua and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, indicated that they preferred Wembley Stadium as the venue for his proposed showdown with Fury.
However, an agreement between Joshua and the Saudi organisers financing the event stipulated that the fight should take place in Britain. Moving the contest to the United States would therefore require the terms of the deal to be renegotiated.
Hearn has previously described the Fury bout as a major moment in Joshua’s career.
After Pat Brown defeated John Hedges on September 19, Hearn said Joshua’s “whole career comes down to this” fight.
“There is a desperation to win this fight and this is why sport is the greatest. I’ve never wanted to win a fight so badly,” Hearn said.
The December meeting will bring an end to years of negotiations and speculation over a potential clash between the two British heavyweight stars.