London Mayor, Sadiq Khan has issued a public plea for the long-awaited heavyweight clash between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury to be staged in the city, urging promoters to bring the fight to Wembley Stadium.
“A message to the promoters, we want to host it in London. Talk to us, we’re really keen to have it,” Khan told BBC Sport.
The mayor, a well-known boxing fan, pointed to London’s record of hosting major heavyweight nights at Wembley, including previous bouts involving both fighters that drew record crowds.
“I understand the temptation of going to Madison Square Garden, of the money on offer, but the fans are here. We’ve been loyal to Tyson and Anthony. We love them both, and we’d love to see them box here in London,” he added.
Khan’s intervention had come amid uncertainty over the venue, with Saudi organisers Sela and broadcaster Netflix understood to favour New York’s Madison Square Garden for a potential November date, citing better time zones and global viewership. Joshua’s camp had insisted his contract stipulated a United Kingdom location, with promoter Eddie Hearn continuing to push for the fight to remain on home soil.
However, Fury has since confirmed that the fight will in fact hold at Madison Square Garden, ending months of uncertainty over the venue. The former world heavyweight champion announced the development on Instagram, alongside a poster of himself and Joshua set against the New York City skyline, though no date was attached to the post.
“What a place NYC, and what a venue MSG, and what a fight Fury vs AJ, the land of opportunity,” Fury wrote.
The fight is expected to take place in November, with November 20 understood to be the target date, after both fighters signed contracts with Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority. Hearn said Joshua’s team remained opposed to staging the fight outside the United Kingdom but understood it had to work for all parties involved.
“We don’t want to do the fight in the US, but we also understand it has to work for everybody. We’ve set out our position, mainly in concern to the tax situation that will deplete his net purse by going to America, which can be rectified and I think they’re happy to do that,” Hearn said.
Fury is 38 years old and has won 36 of his professional bouts, with his only defeats coming in back-to-back fights against Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk in 2024. He returned to the ring in July, stopping Polish opponent Mariusz Wach in a tune-up fight in Pattaya, Thailand. Joshua won his own tune-up bout on July 25 against Kristian Prenga in Jeddah.
Credit: punchng.com
