Fury and Joshua trade jokes and address disputes at London press launch ahead of December 11 Cardiff fight
Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua faced off at a news conference in London on Wednesday ahead of their fight at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on 11 December. The pair, described in the launch as two-time heavyweight world champions, exchanged pleasantries and jokes while organisers and the fighters acknowledged remaining contractual and title issues.
After more than a decade of public feuding and failed negotiations, the launch had a conciliatory tone as both men appeared to take stock of their careers; Fury, 38, said of Joshua: "He's been a role model and poster boy for British boxing for years," adding, "I mostly find myself defending my arch rival to fans in the street." Joshua, 36, spoke of the event's scale: "It's breathtaking and I'm not saying that lightly," and added, "I'm really grateful for this opportunity and bringing it to Great Britain because I know people in pubs have had proper fights about who will win and family members have fallen out." On Monday, there had still been uncertainty over whether the fight would happen because of contractual disagreements surrounding the promotion.
The face-off mixed humour with spectacle: Joshua smiled and pretended to tickle Fury's stomach, and the session opened after both men had given one-to-one interviews and were introduced by master of ceremonies Michael Buffer as fireworks shot from the front of the stage. They entered from opposite sides; Joshua wore a grey tracksuit and sunglasses while Fury appeared in an emerald-green suit covered in crown motifs over a white shirt. A few hundred fans in the balcony at the British Airways ARC voiced their support with chants of "Oh Anthony Joshua."
Promoters and fighters discussed logistics and location, with Joshua credited for pushing to keep the fight in Britain and the main event expected to start at around 02:00 GMT to suit American audiences. The pair reflected on their limited shared history in the ring, including a famous sparring session in 2010 when Joshua was an amateur; Fury suggested he had come out on top and a fan shouted "Liar," to which Joshua replied that he could not remember.
There were moments of combative banter alongside the humour; Fury said, "It's the icing on the cake of two great careers," and later nodded to the giant screen behind them reading "Finally." He also taunted Joshua with: "This man here is carved in stone and every time he gets cracked on the jaw, he falls over," and added, "When I crack him on the jaw with a big right hand, he's going down." Joshua responded by laughing and shouting Fury's catchphrase: "Get up."
The fight has been reported as being for the vacant WBA 'super' heavyweight title, though Murat Gassiev's team has lodged a formal objection over that proposed arrangement. The build-up also featured disputes over promotional roles after Netflix presented UFC and Zuffa Boxing chief Dana White as part of the promotion alongside Turki Alalshikh's The Ring; Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn insisted his fighter's contract prevented White from having a promotional role and White did not attend Wednesday's launch. When Alalshikh thanked White from the stage, sections of the crowd jeered. Fury briefly called Hearn a "sausage" before offering to share a drink, saying, "I hope after this fight we can have a pint of Guinness together," and Joshua replied, "I don't know if I can trust you," drawing laughter.
The confirmed next step is the fight itself on 11 December at Cardiff's Principality Stadium, though the fighters and promoters left with outstanding questions to resolve: contractual disagreements earlier in the week and a formal objection from Murat Gassiev's camp over the proposed WBA 'super' title placement.
