Cardiff has emerged as the leading venue for Tyson Fury’s proposed fight with Anthony Joshua on 11 December, with the unresolved terms of their separate contracts still shaping preparations. BBC Sport reports that final details are being discussed by Netflix, organisers Sela and the two fighters’ camps, with an official announcement expected this week.
The distinction matters: Cardiff and the date are the reported plan, rather than a completed public announcement. Alongside the venue negotiations, Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has raised questions about differences between the fighters’ drug-testing obligations. Those comments describe Hearn’s account of the contracts; they do not establish that Fury broke an obligation in his own agreement.
The UK clause changed the venue discussion
The negotiations had moved close enough to a New York event for a Manhattan news conference to be considered, according to BBC Sport. Joshua’s agreement with Sela, however, required the contest to take place in the United Kingdom. Fury’s separate agreement did not contain the same restriction.
Hearn and Joshua maintained that position even as other parties preferred New York. Matchroom considered the compensation that might be needed to give up the UK provision, but the venue discussion ultimately returned to Britain. Fury had publicly accused Joshua of delaying matters and raised the possibility of another contest with Oleksandr Usyk during the dispute.
For British spectators, the significance is practical as well as promotional. A UK venue would put the contest within reach of a domestic stadium audience. The location alone, however, would not guarantee a conventional British evening start: the reported broadcast preference is still tied to the US market.
Why the Principality Stadium is the frontrunner
A roof and a larger audience than an indoor arena
December complicates the choice of a British stadium. BBC Sport identifies the Principality Stadium’s retractable roof as a way to retain the scale of an outdoor venue while protecting the event from winter weather. Moving to an indoor arena such as London’s O2 would reduce the number of available seats.
The Cardiff stadium’s official seated capacity is just under 74,000, although boxing layouts can accommodate more. That figure describes the venue, not an attendance forecast for Fury against Joshua. Joshua has boxed there before: nearly 80,000 watched his 2017 defence against Carlos Takam, and he returned to face Joseph Parker five months later.
A possible late start remains part of the plan
BBC Sport reports a projected ring walk of about 01:00 GMT to serve Netflix’s preferred US prime-time audience. That would fall after Wembley’s usual 23:00 event curfew and would require additional local approvals in London.
The Welsh Rugby Union has indicated that a late finish would not automatically prevent Cardiff from hosting. There is also a boxing precedent: Joe Calzaghe’s 2007 fight with Mikkel Kessler started at 02:00 local time for American television. That history does not remove the need to plan transport, policing and crowd management for another early-hours event.
The reported ring-walk time is therefore an important detail for prospective ticket buyers to watch when arrangements are announced. It should not yet be treated as a confirmed timetable.
Hearn alleges different testing requirements
Speaking to Boxing News in comments reported by BoxingScene, Hearn said Joshua’s contract required both fighters to start drug testing when the original agreements were signed more than three months ago. He said Joshua enrolled at that point but Fury did not.
Hearn also acknowledged that Fury might not have been required to begin then under his own contract. His criticism concerned inconsistent agreements rather than a claim that the same written obligation had been ignored by both sides. A source close to the situation separately told BoxingScene that Fury would start testing when the fight was formally announced.
Those qualifications are essential. The available reporting describes a disagreement over contractual timing. It does not report a positive test or establish a breach of Fury’s agreement.
Hearn compared the problem with arrangements for Conor Benn’s two 2025 fights against Chris Eubank Jr, alleging that separate contracts on those occasions had also contained conflicting terms. His examples included dressing rooms, ring-walk order and hydration provisions. That comparison remains the promoter’s account of his negotiating experience.
What still needs confirmation
The immediate development is that Cardiff has become the clear frontrunner in the reporting. The next useful step for supporters is a formal announcement establishing the venue, date and event arrangements. Until then, the proposed December meeting and late ring walk should retain their provisional status.