Tyson Fury Confirms Venue For Bout Against Anthony Joshua

Tyson Fury has confirmed that his long-awaited heavyweight showdown with British-Nigerian Anthony Joshua will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Fury announced the venue on Instagram on Wednesday, September 2, posting a graphic of himself and Joshua against the backdrop of the New York City skyline. He did not provide a specific date, but November 20 is understood to be the target date for the fight.

“What a place NYC, and what a venue MSG, and what a fight Fury vs AJ, the land of opportunity,” Fury wrote.

“What a weekend away for the lads on the piss in NYC. Iconic! Not long now, guys.”

Joshua and his promoter, Matchroom Boxing, had yet to confirm Fury’s announcement at the time of writing.

The decision to stage the fight in the United States follows months of negotiations. Joshua’s original terms required the bout to take place in the United Kingdom, but organisers Netflix and Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, pushed for a New York showdown.

Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, admitted that his camp did not want the fight to leave Britain but said negotiations had focused on making the financial arrangements work.

“We don’t want to do the fight in the US, but we also understand it has to work for everybody,” Hearn said.

“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.

“We will need to make a decision this week. They’ve replied; they have our terms. It’s up to them.”

Fury’s announcement has already divided fans, with some questioning why an all-British heavyweight clash will take place in New York instead of at a major British venue such as Wembley Stadium.

The 36-year-old Fury has won 36 professional fights, with his only defeats coming against Oleksandr Usyk in their two bouts in 2024. He returned to the ring in July and stopped Poland’s Mariusz Wach in a tune-up fight in Pattaya, Thailand.

Joshua also returned to action in July, defeating Kristian Prenga in Jeddah. Hearn said the fight helped clear the way for negotiations with Fury’s camp to progress.

Naija News recalls that talks over a Fury-Joshua fight first collapsed in 2021 after a United States judge ordered Fury to honour his contractual obligation to face Deontay Wilder in a trilogy bout.