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Fury vs Joshua: 2AM Cardiff Fight Date Approaches

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"Fury vs Joshua: 2AM Cardiff Fight Date Approaches"

Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua could finally be done and dusted within days, with Friday, December 11 in Cardiff now emerging as the intended date. The price of bringing Britain’s biggest heavyweight fight home could be a remarkable and polarizing 2am main event.

After all the smokescreens surrounding Fury’s renewed pursuit of Oleksandr Usyk and Joshua patiently waiting for his UK terms to be met, there may now be little more than the final details standing between the rivals and an official announcement.

Former WBN Lead Writer Dan Rafael reports, citing a source with direct involvement, that December 11 is now the intended date in Cardiff if everything is finalized. November 28 and December 4 had also been discussed, with permits and other bureaucracy still to be completed.

Joshua remained largely silent while Eddie Hearn repeatedly insisted that his fighter had signed for a UK fight and expected those terms to be honored.

Fury, meanwhile, publicly attacked Joshua over the delay before turning his attention back towards a third fight with Usyk.

From WBN’s perspective, the Usyk talk always looked more like another Fury smokescreen than a fight that was seriously going to derail Joshua. With the Cardiff agreement now edging closer, that assessment appears increasingly justified.

Fury vs Joshua Nears Agreement

Fury is reportedly the remaining party who needs to approve the latest changes, having repeatedly stated on social media that he wants to fight Joshua.

If everything goes smoothly over the coming days, WBN understands the agreement could be completed by the end of the weekend, with a press conference being lined up for later this month.

That would finally end a venue saga that has taken Fury vs Joshua from Saudi Arabia to Britain, across the Atlantic to New York and now back to the UK.

Joshua ultimately stood his ground, with Hearn revealing this week that Joshua rejected considerably more money to stage the fight in New York. His fighter remained determined to stick to the UK terms contained in his agreement.

Cardiff’s Principality Stadium now appears to have provided the answer, although there could be one significant compromise.

UK Fans Face 2AM Main Event

The proposed 2am start remains a sore point for British fans and could become the price of keeping Fury vs Joshua in the UK.

Netflix had backed New York as the preferred location, which would naturally have placed the fight in American prime time. A 2am main event in Cardiff would put Fury vs Joshua at around 9pm Eastern Time in the United States, allowing Netflix to retain a prime-time audience there while Joshua gets the British venue he fought to keep.

It would create the extraordinary situation of two British heavyweights finally meeting in Britain, only for thousands inside the Principality Stadium to watch them enter the ring in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The unusual Friday date creates a complication for supporters traveling to Cardiff, particularly with the event potentially running until well after 2am.

There is at least some history at the venue. Joe Calzaghe’s victory over Mikkel Kessler in 2007 began in the early hours to accommodate American television.

Almost two decades later, British fans may have to accept a similar compromise for a fight they have waited far longer to see.

After years of failed negotiations, abandoned plans and changing locations, that may finally be the compromise that gets Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua into the same ring.

Britain gets Fury vs Joshua, but British fans may just have to stay awake until 2am to see it.


About the Author

Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.

Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.

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Tim Bradley Predicts Canelo vs Mbilli KO: He Can Land Something Big

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Tim Bradley Predicts Canelo vs Mbilli KO: "He Can Land Something Big"

Tim Bradley believes this weekend’s showdown between Canelo Alvarez and Christian Mbilli is going to end in a knockout.

Alvarez challenges Mbilli for his WBC super-middleweight title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturdayin what serves as the first time both men have been back in the ring since competing on the same bill in September 2025.

That event in Las Vegas saw Canelo lose his undisputed super-middleweight crown to Terence Crawford, while Mbilli was held to a draw with Lester Martinez in a WBC interim title fight on the undercard.

Mbilli was later elevated to full champion after Crawford retired from the sport and vacated his belts, and the 31-year-old makes the first defence of that belt when he goes up against Canelo.

Bradley believes it may not be a successful first defence though, as he told DAZN that he believes Alvarez is capable of getting a late knockout victory.

“Mbilli is going to be available for everything, upper cuts, body shots, left hooks. The activity of Mbilli can be bothersome I’m not going to lie, and if Canelo punches him and can’t hurt him and can’t get his respect, Mbilli is in the fight.

“I feel like Canelo will be sitting down and those shots and be softening him up a bit. Canelo might even take a few and catch a few and then land something big, hurt him and maybe even stop him late.”

If Canelo is to win by knockout, it will be the first time since his 11th round stoppage win over Caleb Plant in 2021 that he has had a fight end inside the distance, with all eight of his bouts since then going the full 12 rounds.

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UK Manny Pacquiao: Belt Collectors Inspiring Journey from 110 to 154 Pounds

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"UK Manny Pacquiao: Belt Collector's Inspiring Journey from 110 to 154 Pounds"

British boxer Prince Patel has spent more than a decade picking up championship belts around the world, rising from a 110-pound professional debut to the super welterweight division at 154 pounds after building an unconventional career across several continents.

The 33-year-old, who left the British boxing scene following a controversial split with promoter Frank Warren in 2016, has collected titles across Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Patel’s journey has drawn comparisons to Manny Pacquiao, who made his professional debut at 106 pounds before reaching 154 and becoming boxing’s only eight-division world champion.

There is a significant difference between the two fighters, though. Pacquiao won recognized world titles across eight divisions, while Patel has accumulated Commonwealth, international, and regional championships.

Prince Patel’s Belt Collection

Patel’s overseas career has included the Commonwealth super flyweight title, WBO Global and WBO Africa honors, and the IBO bantamweight championship.

In March 2021, he defeated Julias Thomas Kisarawe in Ghana to claim the Commonwealth crown alongside several other belts.

In December 2023, Patel returned to Ghana and knocked out Aliu Bamidele Lasisi in six rounds to secure the IBO bantamweight title.

He subsequently proclaimed himself India’s first-ever professional boxing world champion, a claim reflecting his Indian heritage and personal ambition.

The IBO, however, is not recognized alongside the WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO as one of boxing’s four major world championship sanctioning bodies.

Patel has nevertheless continued adding to his trophy cabinet, including welterweight honors during his African campaigns.

Prince Patel wins his super welterweight debut
@princepatel1993

From 110 to 154 Pounds

Perhaps the most unusual aspect of Patel’s career has been his progression through the weight classes.

After winning the IBO bantamweight championship in December 2023, he was competing at 141 pounds by June 2024.

Just two months later, Patel weighed 146 pounds for a fight in Zanzibar.

His last recorded contest came in Bangkok on January 31, 2026, when he stopped Yahaya Mussa after five rounds at 140 pounds to claim the WBA Asia Gold super lightweight title.

That victory took his professional record to 34 wins, one defeat, and two draws, with 29 knockouts.

Patel has now made his super welterweight debut in Tanzania, revealing that he secured a fifth-round victory despite difficult weather and ring conditions.

The latest appearance takes him into the 154-pound division, completing a remarkable progression from his professional debut at around 110 pounds.

The result is now on BoxRec and Patel confirmed the victory on his verified Instagram account.

Prince Patel’s Reinvention

The once-controversial Patel has reinvented himself over the years. From the ‘Girthquake,’ a nod to his famous YouTube interview that got him into trouble with Frank Warren, to proclaiming himself India’s first-ever world champion after winning the IBO bantamweight belt, Patel has never gone quietly into the night.

He’s still fighting on, still looking for recognition and aiming to prove anyone who doubted him wrong.


About the Author

Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.

Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.

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Heavyweight Champion Denies Manhood and Finds Vindication in HYROX Championships

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"Heavyweight Champion Denies Manhood and Finds Vindication in HYROX Championships"

Former WBC heavyweight champion Alejandra Jiménez has found a new sporting home in HYROX, competing successfully in the women’s category years after denying claims she was born a man and walking away from boxing.

The Mexican fighter, known as ‘Tigre,’ fought for vindication throughout a bitter controversy that overshadowed her achievements in the ring. Before she left, a former opponent publicly escalated the accusations against her.

Now Jiménez is competing in another discipline, where her results in the women’s category are attracting attention for her athletic achievements rather than the allegations that followed her in boxing.

At HYROX Acapulco in September 2026, she completed the Women’s Pro competition in 1:10:03, finishing seventh among 85 competitors and fifth in her 35–39 age group.

Alejandra Jiménez’s Boxing Fight

World Boxing News extensively covered the controversy, including allegations made by former opponent Carlette Ewellwhom Jiménez defeated by stoppage during her reign as WBC heavyweight champion.

Ewell publicly claimed Jiménez had been born male and transitioned, pointing to her voice and physical appearance. The allegations were unsubstantiated but spread widely through boxing and social media.

Alejandra Jimenez and Carlette Ewell at the weigh in for their wbc heavyweight title fight
WBC

Jiménez repeatedly denied them and explained that she suffered from hypothyroidism, a thyroid condition. The WBC also publicly defended her against the attacks.

The controversy intensified following her January 2020 victory over Franchón Crews-Dezurn at super middleweight.

Jiménez subsequently tested positive for stanozolol, receiving a nine-month suspension and losing her championship. The anti-doping violation was separate from the allegations concerning her sex.

Despite becoming eligible to return, she never fought professionally again.

In December 2022, WBN reported her emotional retirementwhen Jiménez spoke of leaving with a bitter taste and condemned the discrimination she had experienced.

She had won world titles in two vastly different weight divisions, but her final years in boxing became dominated by accusations about her identity.

Her fight for vindication continued after retirement. In 2023, WBN reported her discrimination complaint and attempts to secure recognition from the WBC.

Alejandra Jimenez throws a punch at Franchon Crews-Dezurn in their WBC bout
Hogan Photos

HYROX Offers a New Beginning

Four years after leaving boxing, Jiménez has returned to competitive sport with a performance that places her among the leading finishers in a demanding Women’s Pro field.

In boxing, a former opponent questioned her identity publicly, and the accusations followed her until she walked away. In HYROX, she is competing in the women’s category and earning recognition for her athletic achievements.

HYROX has given Jiménez the chance to compete against women again, with her performances doing the talking.

For boxing, the sight of a former world champion thriving elsewhere after such a bitter departure is hardly a proud chapter.

When Jiménez retired, she said:

“I hope my work is worth it because I made history. But I could have done much, much more.”

She is still showing what she can do, only now it is happening outside boxing.


About the Author

Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.

Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.

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