Fury-Joshua timing must suit America - Alalshikh

The proposed heavyweight fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will only take place at Wembley Stadium if local authorities agree to a later-than-usual start time, according to Turki Alalshikh.

The Saudi powerbroker, who is coordinating the all-British bout, said he will hold talks with the Mayor of London and other stakeholders in a bid to stage the bout in England while accommodating a global television audience.

"I tell you from the beginning, it depends if England give us all that we need," said Alalshikh on Monday.

"We want the fight here in England, but we want the time zone of all the world, especially in America.

"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)."

If the fight was timed to suit prime time audiences in the United States, the main event might have to start as late as 04:00 GMT.

It would not be the first combat sports event in Britain to be scheduled around the American television market. When UFC 304 was held in Manchester in July 2024, the main card did not begin until 01:00 BST.

Last month, Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn, who represents Joshua, dismissed speculation that the fight could be staged in the United States and said the current agreement, signed by all parties, stipulated that the bout must take place in the United Kingdom.

"We've got a great relationship with Turki Alalshikh," Hearn told BBC Sport.

"If he comes to me and says 'I want to do the fight in America for this reason', we'll all be very disappointed because I don't think there's a person on the planet that doesn't think this fight should take place in the UK.

"But he's paying the bill and the bill is extortionate, so you've got to find a way to make it work. If they want to change anything in the contract, we have to renegotiate the contract and start again."

Later this month, both Fury, 37, and Joshua, 36, will return to the ring before their potential meeting later in the year.

Former WBC heavyweight champion Fury will take on Poland's Mariusz Wach in Pattaya, Thailand, on 24 July, while two-time heavyweight champion Joshua will face Kristian Prenga in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the following day.