Promoter Frank Warren says Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are on course for the biggest purses of their careers when they finally meet on Friday, December 11, at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
The long-awaited showdown, backed by Netflix and Saudi financier Turki Alalshikh, comes after years of failed negotiations. Disagreements over the venue and the involvement of UFC president Dana White had threatened to derail the fight again this year.
Warren, who has promoted boxing for almost five decades, said the enormous financial rewards eventually helped keep the deal alive.
“We nearly did it a couple of times, and it just did not happen for various reasons. This time round, I thought we had done it, then with some of the personalities and what was going on with them, I had a couple of hesitations about whether it would happen. But when you look at the money these fellows are getting paid, it is phenomenal money. If they did not do it, they would be crazy. It is huge, huge purses. Massive money. The highest of their careers, I should think the highest of any British fighter’s career, ever,” Warren said.
Netflix had initially favoured Madison Square Garden in New York, with White involved in the proposed arrangement. However, Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn insisted on a legally binding agreement for the bout to be held in the United Kingdom without White’s involvement.
Warren eventually helped secure the 70,000-capacity Principality Stadium, although organisers are reportedly considering a ring-walk time between 1am and 2am to suit the United States prime-time audience.
