Boxing
Tyson Fury v Anthony Joshua showdown set for 2am start if hosted in London
The heavyweight fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua would need to start at 2am if it is to be staged at Wembley, the organiser has said.
Turki Alalshikh wants to stage the fight – which is expected to take place in October or November – at a time that would attract a global audience, but would need to gain an exemption to Wembley’s current curfews to go ahead with his plans.
Responding to a Sky Sports story that ringwalks might not take place until 1am, Alalshikh posted “2am” on his social media account.
Wembley has a curfew of 11pm for weekend events. When Fury faced Dillian Whyte at the stadium in April 2022, the first bell was rung at 10.50pm – the latest a fight has started there to date.
In order to gain an exemption, Alalshikh would need to gain an agreement with the London mayor’s office, as well as Brent Council, the local authority.
In 2005, Ricky Hatton fought Kostya Tszyu at Manchester Arena, but the bout did not begin until 2am to reach American audiences, as did Joe Calzaghe’s fights against Jeff Lacy and Mikkel Kessler in 2006 and 2007 respectively.
