It was oh so close so many times, but Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua is finally happening in 2026.
We have had so many false starts before on the road to the fight ALL British fight fans crave, and now at long last the date and the location is set.
We came very close to the pair meeting in August 2021, before Deontay Wilder won an arbitration ruling to scupper that plan and force a trilogy fight vs Fury. Then in late 2022 a deal was in the works but they could not get it across the line.
Fight details at a glance
| Fight date | Friday, December 11, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales |
| UK ring-walk time | To be confirmed |
| TV and live stream | Netflix (exclusive) |
| Fight odds | Fury 8/15, Joshua 7/4, draw 16/1 |
| Tickets | Sold out (£88.50 – £13,128) |
| Weigh-in | Thursday, December 10, 2026 |
Now things are different – thanks to enormous investment in the sport by Saudi Arabia, its General Entertainment Authority and His Excellency Turki Alalshikh.
The Saudis have ploughed countless millions into their lavish ‘Riyadh Season’, and now – finally – the big fight is being delivered.
Fury vs Joshua date and fight time
We now have a date and a location – the big fight will take place at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales on Friday December 11, 2026. As yet exact timings have yet to be confirmed – in particular whether the fight time will also cater for US TV viewers.
What time are Fury vs Joshua ring walks?
There is still some doubt about the timings for this fight – with tons of talk that it would fit US TV.
What we do know is that an application has been lodged with the local council in Cardiff for ring walks to be at 1am UK time on Saturday December 12 (8pm Eastern on Friday December 11).
Fury vs Joshua TV channel and live stream
Something of a surprise here, but Netflix have live and exclusive rights to this one. It’s their latest foray into the boxing space after recent blockbusters like Canelo vs Crawford and Joshua vs Jake Paul.
That means – unless something changes – the likes of Sky Sports, DAZN and TNT Sports will be on the outside looking in. A major shock after all three doubtless spent years salivating over the potential PPV buys for this one.
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Fury vs Joshua venue
We now know where the fight will happen, and it’s great news for UK fight fans.
Where is Fury vs Joshua taking place?
When Fury vs Joshua was first signed back in 2021, the venue was Saudi Arabia.
But the great news now is that this one WILL take place in the UK. Not at Wembley Stadium though and not even in England. Instead it is Cardiff’s Principality Stadium which has a capacity of 73,931.
When do Fury vs Joshua tickets go on sale?
Despite the fact we have waited several long years for this bout to happen, proof of its enduring lustre comes from the fact all tickets sold out in the space of just one hour.
They were priced from £88.50 to £13,128 so it was not cheap other – this fight is still a massive draw. Obviously the only option now for fans without fight tickets is resale sites. The cheapest we can see on Sunday October 11 is £238 – obviously those are nosebleed seats and not ringside.
Latest betting odds
A couple of years ago this was not even close – before he faced Ngannou in October 2023, Fury was a 1/4 favourite to overcome Joshua. With AJ the 3/1 underdog.
Fury is still very much the favourite at 8/15 but it’s much closer now. AJ is a 7/4 underdog with the Draw priced at 16/1.
Fury vs Joshua weights, purses and world title
The weights will be a fascinating subplot to this fight, size matters in heavyweight boxing more so than any other weight division.
How much will Fury and Joshua weigh?
Fury tipped the scales at 265lbs (18st 13lbs) for his last fight – a regulation win over Mariusz Wach in Thailand in July.
Joshua weighed in at 251lbs (17st 13lbs) for his last fight as he got off the floor to defeat Albanian no hoper Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia. That was 7lbs heavier than his previous outing against Jake Paul, though that fight carried a strict weight limit with penalties for missing target.
The official weigh-in for Fury vs Joshua will take place in Cardiff on Thursday December 10, 2026.
How much will Fury and Joshua earn?
This is as much a retirement plan as it is a prizefight – it will further set these two very rich men up for life. They are expected to each earn north of £100million for one night’s work in Cardiff.
If it’s a great fight, confidently expect a rematch and even a trilogy. The cash register will continue to ring for both men.
What world title is at stake?
Fury and Joshua will do battle for the WBA heavyweight title (super), which was recently vacated by the great Oleksandr Usyk. The winner will join a select band of fighters to have become a three-time world heavyweight champion.
It is all change when it comes to the current world heavyweight champions after two-time undisputed king Usyk vacated all his titles.
German star Agit Kabayel is the new WBC champion while Britain’s Daniel Dubois holds the WBO crown. Croatia’s Filip Hrgovic is the IBF king after his shock defeat of Moses Itauma.
Fury vs Joshua promoters
Even outside the ring there is an all-star cast for Fury vs Joshua.
Fury is co-promoted by two Hall of Famers. The Top Rank supremo Bob Arum in the United States. And Queensberry Promotions head Frank Warren in the UK.
Joshua meanwhile is promoted by Matchroom Boxing and Eddie Hearn. Hearn is a bigger media star than most fighters in the UK, in particular via his social media feeds. The parody ‘No Context Hearn’ Twitter account, which clips some of his best one-liners as short videos, has more than 350,000 followers. Like Hearn himself, it has become a cult thing.
Fury vs Joshua: Fighter records and profiles
Both men have terrific records, and who has the best is a source of constant debate for fight fans.
Tyson Fury record and career profile
Tyson Luke Fury, now 38 years old. was born in Wythenshawe in Manchester on August 12, 1988. Then a premature baby and weighing just one pound at birth, he is now a huge physical specimen. He is 6ft 9ins tall with a reach of 85ins. He now lives in the Isle of Man.
Fury has a record of 36-2-1 with 25 wins inside distance. His only defeats were back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024, while his draw came in his first meeting with Deontay Wilder in Los Angeles in December 2018.
Fury returned from a 16-month retirement to easily outpoint giant Russian Arslanbek Makhmudov in London on April 11, to set up that massive showdown with Joshua. He followed up with a regulation success over Mariusz Wach in Thailand in July.
Anthony Joshua record and career profile
Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua was born in Watford on October 15, 1989. He is now 36 years old. Joshua stands 6ft 6ins tall with a reach of 82ins. He has a professional record of 30-4 with 27 wins inside distance.
Joshua was destined for professional stardom right from the start, having won Olympic gold in the amateurs at the London Olympics of 2012.
He was utterly dominant in his entry into the paid ranks, demolishing all-comers (including big domestic rival Dillian Whyte) en route to a 15-0 start and his first shot at a world title.
That came against American Charles Martin in April 2016, and AJ made the most of the opportunity. He blasted out Martin inside two rounds to become IBF world heavyweight champion.
Joshua became heavyweight champion for a second time in late 2019 when he avenged his first professional loss to Andy Ruiz Jr in their rematch in Saudi Arabia.
Joshua’s other three losses came in back-to-back title fights vs Usyk in 2021 and 2022, and a shocking fifth-round knockout by Dubois at Wembley in September 2024.
AJ diced with disaster as he was knocked down twice before recovering to top little-known Albanian Kristian Prenga in Saudi in July.
Yes, it is definitely signed and happening on Friday December 11, 2026 at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium in Wales.
Good question, and one which has no easy answer. Fury’s 36-2-1 ledger includes three fights vs Deontay Wilder and a pair of matches (both losses) vs Oleksandr Usyk. Joshua meanwhile has a 30-4 mark which includes many of the best heavyweights of the last 10 years. As yet he has not faced Wilder but has – like Fury – posted a couple of losses to Usyk. His other losses came against Andy Ruiz and Daniel Dubois – facts which probably hand the slight edge to ‘The Gypsy King’.
