Tickets for the long-awaited heavyweight showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium sold out in just 60 minutes. Around 80,000 tickets were released on Friday at 12:00 BST, triggering massive demand that saw over 500,000 fans join the digital queue shortly after sales opened. Just minutes after the tickets went on sale more than 500,000 people were waiting in the online queue.
The pricing for the event varied significantly, starting at £88.50 for the most affordable seats and climbing to £13,128 for the premium options, including booking fees. Following the rapid sell-out, tickets appeared on secondary resale platforms, where VIP ringside seats were listed for as much as £73,645, while upper-tier tickets were being offered at £425.
The fight, which will be broadcast globally on Netflix, is scheduled for 11 December, though the main event is not expected to commence until the early hours of 12 December. Organizers plan for ringwalks to begin at 01:00 GMT, following a musical performance, with the stadium remaining open until 03:30. This scheduling mirrors historic late-night bouts in the UK, such as Joe Calzaghe’s 2007 clash with Mikkel Kessler and Ricky Hatton’s 2005 victory over Kostya Tszyu, which were timed to accommodate US television audiences. Allowing US broadcaster Showtime to show the fight on Saturday evening, ricky Hatton’s victory over Kostya Tszyu at Manchester’s MEN Arena in 2005 began at about 02:00 local time.
The event is being marketed as a partnership between Turki Alalshikh’s The Ring and UFC executive Dana White. This arrangement recently faced a major hurdle, with uncertainty regarding the fight’s viability arising just 11 days prior due to disputes over White’s role. While Netflix confirmed the collaboration, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, noted that his fighter’s contract contained specific provisions limiting White’s promotional influence.
These tensions were put aside when the two British rivals held a news conference on 30 September to launch the promotion for what is considered one of the most significant fights in British boxing history. The boxers, both former two-time world champions, are reported to be sharing a total purse valued at approximately $200 million, or £151 million. Joshua, 36, and Fury, 38 – both former two-time world champions – signed contracts for the bout earlier this year, but the date and venue had yet to be confirmed.
While the Cardiff venue was finalized as the host, it was not the initial choice. Both London’s Wembley Stadium and New York’s Madison Square Garden were previously considered frontrunners before logistical issues necessitated a change. Despite the high-profile nature of the event, organizers have yet to announce any undercard bouts supporting the main contest.
