Former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has confirmed that his long-awaited heavyweight showdown with fellow Briton Anthony Joshua will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The highly anticipated bout is expected to be held in November, although an exact date has yet to be announced.
Fury and Joshua previously signed a contract with Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, for the much-anticipated fight. “What a place, what a venue, what a fight,” Fury said in an Instagram post announcing the venue.
Fury described New York City as “the land of opportunity” in his post, but the announcement drew criticism from some fans who questioned why the all-British heavyweight contest would be staged in the United States rather than in the United Kingdom. Some supporters had hoped to see the fight take place at Wembley Stadium in London.
Tyson Fury, who turned 38 in August, has recorded 36 professional victories and suffered two defeats in his career, both coming against Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk in 2024.
He announced his return to boxing in January after previously retiring in December 2024 following his second defeat to Usyk in a bout for three of the four major world heavyweight titles.
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Fury’s latest comeback has now set the stage for one of the biggest all-British heavyweight fights in recent years.
Joshua and Fury previously came close to agreeing a fight in 2021, but negotiations ultimately collapsed. Plans for the showdown fell apart after a US judge ruled that Fury was required to face Deontay Wilder in a third fight.
The long-awaited Joshua-Fury clash has since remained one of boxing’s most anticipated potential matchups.
Tyson Fury continued his preparations for the Joshua fight with a tune-up bout against Polish heavyweight Mariusz Wach in July.
The contest took place at the Max Muay Thai Stadium in Pattaya, Thailand, where Fury dominated before forcing Wach to retire from the bout.
Around 1,500 fans attended the event as Fury continued his preparations for his upcoming showdown with Joshua.
The fight at Madison Square Garden is now set to bring together two of Britain’s biggest boxing stars on one of the sport’s most famous stages.
Al Jazeera
