England set for bumper day of sport as Fury vs Joshua to follow possible World Cup tie | Football | Sport
Should England finish third in Group B in Qatar, Gareth Southgate’s side will play their crunch last-16 clash earlier in the day. The Three Lions are expected to top a group consisting of Wales, USA and Iran, but any slip-up will see them playing just before Fury and Joshua exchange blows.
It comes after Joshua’s team accepted the terms for the all-British fight, for which Fury claims to have already booked the Principality Stadium. A joint statement by 258 Management – Joshua’s representatives – and Matchroom Boxing said on Tuesday: “258 and @MatchroomBoxing can confirm, on behalf of @anthonyjoshua, that we accepted all terms presented to us by Fury’s team for a fight Dec 3rd last Friday.
“Due to the Queen’s passing, it was agreed to halt all communication. We are awaiting a response.” Frank Warren, Fury’s promoter, soon responded: “Contract will be with you very soon.”
JUST IN: Joshua accepts Fury fight terms as date set for iconic battle
Fury had been waiting a while for Joshua to respond to his offer of a fight on December 3. The 34-year-old had initially pledged to retire following his fight with Dillian Whyte earlier this year. However, he offered fellow Brit Joshua the chance to win his WBC heavyweight title.
When putting forward the terms to Joshua, Fury revealed that he had three dates at three different venues booked. One option was Old Trafford on November 12, another was Wembley Stadium on November 26, and the final offer was the Principality Stadium on December 3.
Joshua has now accepted the latter date, so it appears the fight is scheduled for Wales. Fury told talkSPORT last week: “I have seen that they are trying to wriggle a little bit with the date because we officially have Manchester United’s football ground booked for the 12th of November, however they are saying that is too short.
“So, what I have got that’s even better than that is Wembley Stadium booked for the 26th of November of this year. And if he doesn’t want to go to Wembley at the end of November, I even have a December date for him – December 3 at Cardiff!”
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The bout could follow England’s last-16 tie at the Qatar World Cup if the Three Lions finish second in Group B. The match is scheduled to take place at 3pm on December 3, with the boxing almost certain to begin later in the evening.
The runners-up in Group B face a tough test against the winners of Group A. European rivals the Netherlands or African champions Senegal are likely opponents should England qualify from their group but fail to overcome each of Wales, USA and Iran.
Head coach Southgate will hope to avoid that eventuality. Should England win the group, they will instead play their first knockout round match the day after the Fury vs Joshua fight.
