Madison Square Garden Frontrunner For Joshua-Fury

Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are heading to New York.

Madison Square Garden has emerged as the frontrunner destination for their long-awaited heavyweight clash: "Joshua-Fury almost certain to land in the U.S., with Madison Square Garden the frontrunner. Netflix, which has steered this, has targeted a few Friday night dates,” Chris Mannix

Both men built their careers in front of enormous British crowds — Wembley Stadium appearances, O2 Arena sellouts, Cardiff and Manchester nights that turned them into national figures before the global money arrived. A Joshua-Fury fight at Wembley would have been a culmination of something.

Netflix operates on a global scale and a fight staged in New York during American prime time reaches its most commercially valuable audience at the optimal hour. A Wembley night falls in a time zone that requires American subscribers to stay up or catch up later.

The argument for Madison Square Garden on its own terms is real. The arena has hosted Ali-Frazier. It has hosted Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson at various points in their careers. It is one of a small number of venues in the world that carries the weight of boxing history in its walls.

Joshua arrives having survived two knockdowns in his most recent fight — the second-round stoppage of Kristian Prenga in Jeddah — and has spent the weeks since dismissing durability questions while talking about what his resilience proves. Madison Square Garden is where fans find out who comes out victorious.