Fury and Joshua arrive in London ahead of December 11 Cardiff fight launch
Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua arrived in London on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday's launch news conference for their heavyweight contest scheduled for 11 December at Cardiff's Principality Stadium. Their appearances followed several days of uncertainty over promotional involvement and anti-doping clearance, with BBC Sport now understanding UFC chief Dana White will not attend the launch.
The all-British heavyweight contest, described as more than a decade in the making, was officially announced on Thursday by Saudi powerbroker Turki Alalshikh. Doubts surfaced about 24 hours later amid a dispute over the role of Dana White in the promotion after broadcaster Netflix said Alalshikh's The Ring and White would collaborate to promote the event. Anthony Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn countered that his fighter's contract prevented White from having a promotional role, and White said on Saturday night he did not know whether the fight - or Wednesday's news conference - would happen.
Fury, 38, travelled back from the United States, where he had been at Walt Disney World Resort with his family, while Joshua, 36, flew in from his training camp in Dubai. BBC Sport reported both men stepping out of cars in London on Tuesday ahead of the launch, an image the outlet described as at least somewhat reassuring. Wednesday's event at the British Airways ARC in Olympia will be the first time the pair have come face-to-face since the fight was officially announced.
A further potential hurdle emerged late on Monday over Fury's enrolment in the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (Vada) testing programme; Fury's manager Spencer Brown has since said Fury is now enrolled with Vada. Promoter disputes continued to be aired publicly: Eddie Hearn has alleged contractual terms around White's involvement have not been adhered to, White has publicly attacked Hearn, and Fury accused Joshua's camp of trying to pull out. Those exchanges contributed to the uncertainty that followed the announcement.
Financial arrangements and backing were also reported as part of the story, with the fighters' shared purse described as close to $200m (£151m) and supported by prominent figures in the sport. Broadcaster Netflix is reported to have agreed global coverage of the bout, and the contest is expected to take place in the early hours to suit US audiences. A limited number of tickets for the launch will be made available to the public.
The pair have never met in a professional fight despite several previous attempts to stage an all-British heavyweight bout. The launch news conference on Wednesday at the British Airways ARC in Olympia will be the first public face-to-face appearance since the announcement, and the fight itself remains scheduled for 11 December at Cardiff's Principality Stadium with global broadcast arrangements on Netflix.
