London press conference launch

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua appeared in London on 30 September to launch their heavyweight bout scheduled for 11 December at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. The hour-long launch event drew 1,000 spectators to Olympia London, where both former world champions maintained a cordial tone. Fury, aged 38 with 36 victories in 39 professional bouts, invited Joshua to share a drink after the contest. Joshua, aged 36 with 30 wins in 34 bouts, concluded their face-off by tickling Fury's midriff. Fury described the meeting in front of 80,000 fans as a fitting conclusion to their boxing careers.

The icing on the cake of a long, luxurious career: Anthony Joshua at Cardiff, then Oleksandr Usyk at Madison Square Garden. that will be it.

Venue negotiations and financial concessions

Staging the bout in Wales followed lengthy discussions over alternative venues. Turki Alalshikh, American partner Dana White, and broadcaster Netflix had advocated hosting the event at Madison Square Garden in New York. Promoter Eddie Hearn stated that Joshua accepted a purse reduction exceeding £10 million to ensure the fight remained on British soil under contract terms with Sela. Alalshikh reported that shifting the event away from New York cost him £53 million. An earlier proposal to use Wembley Stadium was dropped because of London's 11pm venue curfew, which conflicted with plans for a late schedule featuring musical artist Dua Lipa. The Principality Stadium was selected for its retractable roof, with ring walks scheduled for the early hours of Saturday morning to suit the American broadcast market.

To keep it in the UK he's got to turn down eight figures plus. AJ goes to me 'whatever you think' and I'm like 'no, no, no, it's your money. I can't make that decision for you'.

Coaching alignments and tactical preparations

Tactical preparations for the December clash involve coaches with past ties to Fury. Joshua reunited with trainer Ben Davison, who worked with him between December 2023 and November 2025 following an earlier period coaching Fury in 2018. Joshua also confirmed ongoing contact with Fury's estranged uncle, Peter Fury, who coached Tyson to his 2015 world title victory over Wladimir Klitschko before an 11-year rift. The connection developed through British heavyweight Matty Harris, who trains with Peter Fury and visited Joshua for sparring sessions. Joshua stated that his discussions with Peter Fury focused on overall training strategy rather than specific insights into his nephew. Joshua's training camp is scheduled to move to continental Europe in the coming weeks.

I speak to Peter Fury. He's willing to help me as well. Yeah, I'll speak to him.

Title stakes and future plans

The December meeting in Cardiff is expected to contest the WBA heavyweight world title, presenting both boxers with an opportunity to claim a third world championship. Neither fighter has a rematch clause included in the bout contract. Fury stated his intention to pursue a single fight against Joshua before seeking a third bout against Oleksandr Usyk in early 2027 at Madison Square Garden. Following those contests, Fury plans to transition into boxing promotion alongside Frank Warren.