Alalshikh wants Joshua and Fury fight at Wembley with late start

Saudi bigwig Turki Alalshikh has said that the heavyweight fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua could still happen at Wembley Stadium. But this will only work if British authorities agree to a later start time so that fans around the world can watch.

Alalshikh, who is in charge of organizing this all-British match, said he will talk to the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, and others to get permission for a late-night fight in the city. The fight might need to start as late as 4am GMT to match prime-time in the United States.

“I tell you from the beginning, it depends if England give us all that we need. We want the fight here in England, but we want the time zone of all the world, especially in America,” Alalshikh said.

“If they allowed us to have Wembley late in the night, we want to do it in England. It is about the time and viewership. We will talk with the mayors and Prince Abdullah (bin Khaled bin Sultan).”

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said the city is ready to support efforts to bring the fight to the capital. But they did not directly say if they would allow a later start time.

“London is the sporting capital of the world, and the Mayor is working to bring more of the world’s biggest events to the city. London has staged some of the biggest boxing events in recent history at Wembley Stadium, with record crowds of over 90,000 attending heavyweight contests, including Anthony Joshua versus Daniel Dubois and Tyson Fury versus Dillian Whyte,” the spokesperson said.

Both fighters are planning to return to the ring later this month before their expected match, which should happen in November. Fury will face Mariusz Wach in Pattaya, Thailand, on July 24, while Joshua will take on Kristian Prenga in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the following day.