The Hall of Famer says a Wembley superfight should be staged at a normal British start time instead of catering to U.S. prime-time television
Carl Froch says Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury should not fight at Wembley Stadium with a proposed 4 a.m. local start, arguing Britain’s biggest heavyweight showdown belongs in front of British fans at a normal hour. The former unified champion also questioned whether authorities would approve tens of thousands of spectators leaving the stadium before dawn.
“It needs to be on British soil. Wembley Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur, wherever, at a reasonable hour, 10:00. In the middle of November, it’s going to be freezing cold,” said Froch on his YouTube channel about an early morning start time for the Fury vs. Joshua fight. “We don’t mind being cold at 10 or 11:00, but not 4 in the morning. It’s taking a piss. I mean, come on.”
Turki Alalshikh said this week that he is working with London officials to make a Wembley event possible with a late-night start that would align with U.S. primetime viewing hours. The proposal has generated debate because spectators would be leaving the stadium during the early morning hours.
Froch questioned whether authorities would even approve nearly 80,000 people exiting Wembley around 4 a.m.
“I feel like Turki Alalshikh may be paying us lip service or putting in a little bit of an excuse by saying, ‘I’m waiting to see what Transport for London or the police in London say.’ I don’t think they’re going to allow 79,000 fans to leave Wembley Stadium at 4 in the morning,” Froch said.
The Hall of Famer added that if organizers are determined to prioritize the American audience, they should simply stage the fight in the United States instead.
“If they’re going to try and accommodate for American TV, it might as well be over in America,” Froch said.
Joshua and Fury are both scheduled to return later this month in separate tune-up bouts before the long-discussed showdown. Joshua is set to face Kristian Prenga in Jeddah on July 25, while Fury will meet Mariusz Wach in Thailand on July 24.
Although negotiations continue over the venue and start time, Alalshikh has repeatedly expressed confidence that one of British boxing’s biggest fights will take place before the end of the year.
