Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua arrive in London today to promote a December 11 Netflix fight that comes years after its strongest selling point: finding out which man is the better heavyweight at his peak. A loaded undercard could give American viewers who consider both past their best a reason to subscribe.
The face-off should generate social media attention, but a hostile stare does little to improve the fight itself. Netflix needs competitive supporting bouts featuring fighters with something at stake. Without them, the promotion is asking skeptical viewers to buy into two famous names and a rivalry that took too long to reach the ring.
“Most anticipated face-off in a long, long time. Perhaps since Mayweather-Pacquiao in 2015?” Mike Coppinger wrote on X. “In just a few hours, they finally meet face to face. Tyson Fury. Anthony Joshua. Watch the press conference live from London on @ringmagazine social channels. Dec. 11 live on Netflix.”
The press conference starts at 6 p.m. BST, or 1 p.m. Eastern, ahead of the December 11 fight at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. After the recent disputes, getting both fighters onto the stage would give the promotion something positive to work with.
Fury and Joshua still have famous names, but this fight arrives years after fans first wanted it. The rivalry can sell tickets without representing the best the heavyweight division has to offer. For viewers who consider both past their best, nostalgia will only go so far.
That makes the undercard important. Familiar names facing opponents brought in to lose would do little to strengthen the show. Closely matched title fights would give skeptical fans a reason to watch beyond seeing how much Fury and Joshua have left.
The promotional arguments have already taken attention away from the boxing. Today offers a chance to change that by announcing supporting fights worth discussing.
Existing Netflix subscribers can watch without buying a separate pay-per-view, but they can also switch off without feeling they have wasted money on the fight. A strong undercard could hook viewers early and keep them watching until the main event.
The face-off will get its share of attention today. The more useful news would be an undercard that makes December 11 worth watching beyond the two names at the top.