Cardiff is a wonderful city in which to watch sport; the Millenium Principality Stadium is one of the world’s great arenas, the adjacent Cardiff Arms Park one of the country’s most historic grounds and Sophia Gardens will always be one of the nation’s premium Test cricket hosts.
Throw in the famous Chippy Lane, an often foul but fantastic spot for a post-match kebab, and how tight packed together everything in the city is, and it is a supporter’s dream.
This winter, though, is looks increasingly likely to stage one of the biggest fights in the history of British boxing.
A bout between the Gypsy King, Tyson Fury, and former Olympic champion Anthony Joshua has been on the cards for well over a decade. Now, with both teams signing contracts, it is as close as it has ever been. But there’s one sticking point: location.
It has been reported that broadcaster Netflix, the fight’s Saudi Arabian backer Sela and Team Fury all want the fight to take place in the United States – favouring the 20,000-capacity Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Team Joshua, however, according to his promoter Eddie Hearn, is staunchly behind a British venue, given the nationalities of the two fighters and their legions of fans.
If Joshua’s corner wins, many would expect the fight to be held in Wembley Stadium. But demands from stakeholders – led by boxing’s most influential money-man Turki Alalshikh – mean its first round bell may not ring until deep into the evening, and more likely the following morning.
This has been a sticking point for London and Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Cardiff obvious choice
Enter Cardiff.
The Welsh capital is now favourite to host the fight, which may begin at 2am, with reports suggesting that the devolved government is willing to waive the current 10:30pm curfew for events at the Principality Stadium.
“It’s inching closer and it looks like it could be the British boxing bonanza that we all hoped for taking place in Britain,” Fury’s manager Spencer Brown told Sky Sports.
“Three venues are still under consideration with Cardiff and Wembley still in the running.”
This would be a juddering blow for Mayor Khan, who has frequently hailed London as the go-to European location for any sport wanting to prove its worth.
It could be a win, however, for new Prime Minister Andy Burnham and his cool relationship with the capital. He has made no secret of his desire to drive growth in his beloved north-west
An executive for one of the city’s sports teams told City AM that “Cardiff’s sporting reputation is already established but landing the Fury/Joshua fight would underpin that.”
“Another victory for Team Cardiff,” they added.
The Principality Stadium is a stunning venue, with its closed roof ensuring an electric atmosphere as well as guaranteed dry conditions for the fight – and the fans.
Its city centre location means there will be no Night Tube fiasco deep into the early hours, and its size dwarfs the Madison Square Garden favoured by some.
So it begs the question: having not hosted a fight in nearly a decade – when Joshua beat Joseph Parker – why on earth wasn’t this gem of a stadium top of the list since the very start? Either way, chalk this down as Burnham 1, Khan 0.
