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Tyson Fury has announced that his blockbuster heavyweight clash with British-Nigerian boxer Anthony Joshua will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York, bringing an end to speculation over where the long-awaited fight will be staged.
The former world heavyweight champion disclosed the venue in an Instagram post featuring a promotional image of himself and Joshua against the backdrop of the New York City skyline. Fury, however, did not reveal the date for the contest.
“What a place NYC, and what a venue MSG, and what a fight Fury vs AJ, the land of opportunity,” Fury wrote.
He added: “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 publicly confirm Fury’s announcement at the time of filing this report.
The fight is widely expected to take place in November, with November 20 understood to be the proposed date. Both fighters reportedly signed contracts for the bout with Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority.
Joshua’s camp had initially preferred the fight to be held in the United Kingdom. However, organisers, including Netflix and Alalshikh, pushed for the contest to be staged in the United States, prompting fresh discussions between Joshua’s representatives and the organisers.
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn had previously acknowledged that Joshua’s team was reluctant to take the fight outside Britain, particularly because of concerns over the tax implications of competing in the US.
“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”.
Hearn added: “We will need to make a decision this week. They’ve replied, they have our terms. It’s up to them.”
Fury’s announcement also triggered reactions from boxing fans, with some questioning why a contest between two British fighters would be staged in New York rather than at a major venue in the United Kingdom, such as Wembley Stadium.
Fury, 38, has won 36 professional fights, suffering his only defeats in successive bouts against Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk in 2024. He returned to action in July and stopped Polish boxer Mariusz Wach in Pattaya, Thailand, after previously announcing his retirement following his second defeat to Usyk.
Joshua also returned to the ring in July, defeating Kristian Prenga in Jeddah on July 25. Hearn said the victory helped pave the way for negotiations with Fury’s camp to move forward.
An earlier attempt to arrange a meeting between Fury and Joshua collapsed in 2021 after a US court ruled that Fury was contractually required to face Deontay Wilder in a third fight.
If the proposed November showdown goes ahead, it will finally bring together two of Britain’s biggest heavyweight stars in one of the most anticipated fights in modern boxing.
