Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will square off for the WBA world heavyweight championship on December 11 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, promoter Frank Warren has confirmed. The announcement marks a significant development in the long-anticipated British heavyweight showdown.
The decision to place the WBA 'super' or primary title on the line represents an unexpected turn. The WBA had previously recognised Murat Gassiev as its champion after he was elevated to the 'super' champion position in July, when he held the organisation's 'regular' belt since 2025. However, according to BBC Sport, Gassiev stated he had received no official message or paperwork from the WBA regarding whether his belt would be contested in the Fury-Joshua bout.
Warren subsequently clarified that the WBA had confirmed the belt would be at stake, though this announcement has sparked fresh debate over Gassiev's title status and the organisation's handling of its heavyweight division.
Both Fury and Joshua arrive at this contest having previously held world title belts that they subsequently lost to Oleksandr Usyk. The Cardiff meeting now offers them the opportunity to reclaim a championship they have held in years past.
That is the case at the moment. That's going to be on the line,Warren told Sky Sports News.
Whoever wins that, they've got a version of the belt and the objective, after Usyk vacated all the belts, is to find out who's the best, who's going to hold all the belts, who's going to be the No 1 heavyweight.
Warren added that the heavyweight landscape is set for significant movement in the coming months.
I'm sure Usyk will be back in next year as well. It's going to be really, really exciting times.
Dubois eyes heavyweight unification path
The promoter is simultaneously staging the Daniel Dubois versus Fabio Wardley rematch on Saturday for the WBO heavyweight title. Warren has indicated his intention to position the victor of that contest against the winner of Fury versus Joshua in 2027, as part of a broader unification strategy.
These guys are all looking to unify the titles and get involved in massive, massive fights in 2027. We made it at Queensberry our mantra to make these fights happen. We've got three of the four heavyweight champions on our roster and we're going to make unification fights next year,Warren explained.
And it would be really, really good for the winner of Tyson and AJ to be involved in that. There are some fabulous fights to be made and the heavyweight division as I keep telling everybody is on fire. You've got some fabulous fights.
[Dubois-Wardley] will set some big stuff up for the new year.
WBO heavyweight champion Dubois has already signalled his willingness to face either Fury or Joshua.
If they feed me one of them, I'll fight them. Nice appetiser. I'm ready for whoever they throw at me after this,he told Sky Sports News.
I'll gladly take on the winner of that. I will stake my claim and take on the world, the belts and everything else that comes along with it.
Background to the showdown
The Fury-Joshua contest represents the culmination of months of negotiation. The pair met publicly for the first time ahead of the bout at the British Airways Arc in West London, according to The New York Times. Notably, the fight contract contains no rematch clause, with representatives describing it as a one-fight deal.
Gassiev's path to the WBA 'super' championship came via a dominant performance in July, when he stopped Peter Kadiru in the sixth round to defend his WBA heavyweight title. His elevation to 'super' champion status was intended to clarify the organisation's heavyweight landscape following Usyk's decision to vacate his belts.
What comes next
The Fury-Joshua clash is scheduled for December 11 at Cardiff's Principality Stadium, with Netflix broadcasting the event. The WBA's handling of Gassiev's title status remains a point of uncertainty, with the champion awaiting further clarification from the organisation on his position within the heavyweight division.
