Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury will finally meet in Cardiff on December 11, bringing together two of Britain’s biggest heavyweight stars after years of failed attempts to make the fight.
The long-awaited fight will take place at the Principality Stadium, with the bout expected to become the richest fight in British boxing history.
Joshua and Fury had been scheduled to meet in 2021 when they held the major heavyweight titles, but the proposed two-fight series collapsed after Fury was required to fulfil his contractual obligation for a trilogy fight against Deontay Wilder.
The pair eventually went in different directions, with both later facing Oleksandr Usyk, who defeated Fury twice and Joshua twice.
Now, six years after their original agreement, the British rivals are set to settle their long-running rivalry in Cardiff.
The Sun reports on Friday that the fight is expected to generate a £150m ($198m) prize pot, with neither boxer having an A-side advantage in the purse split.
That means Joshua is expected to receive £75m ($99m), with Fury receiving the same amount.
The reported payday would be significantly higher than the pair’s previous career-best purses.
SunSport reported that both fighters have previously earned around £65m ($85m) for a single fight, putting their potential £75m earnings from the December clash about £10m above that figure.
Joshua could have earned even more had the fight been staged in the United States, with Madison Square Garden in New York reportedly considered for the contest.
However, the former two-time unified heavyweight champion insisted that the fight take place in Britain.
Speaking to SunSport, Joshua said, “British boxing gave me everything, it changed my life,”
“I was going down the wrong path until I found Sean Murphy and Johnny Oliver at Finchley ABC.
“And then Team GB in Sheffield – and all the amazing coaches that worked every day for the love of the sport.
“Not the money – because there was no money.”
“It was the UK or nothing.”
The December fight could be the final bout for either fighter, with both men now in the latter stages of their careers.
The contest will also be staged without a rematch clause.
