London Mayor Sadiq Khan issues statement on Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua in major update

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has issued a new statement over the staging of a blockbuster British heavyweight fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.

A bout between Joshua and Fury has long been desired by boxing fans in what would be a clash between two of the top British heavyweights of the 21st century.

There was a proposal, made by Fury, for a fight between the pair to be staged in Cardiff all the way back in December 2022, but a self-imposed contract deadline passed without a resolution and the bout ultimately did not end up happening.

Fast-forward to April of this year, and Joshua was watching on at ringside as Fury secured a commanding points victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

READ MORE: Anthony Joshua drops coldest nine-word comment after Turki Alalshikh and Tyson Fury call-out

'The Gypsy King' would call out Joshua for their long-awaited fight in his post-fight interview, with Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn confirming days later that he had indeed received a contract.

The proposed fight is being brokered by Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh, who has insisted that its start time must suit fans watching in the United States - despite both boxers being British.

He told reporters this Monday, however, that he would hold talks with local authorities in London over staging the bout at Wembley Stadium.

"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."

Mayor of London statement after Alalshikh comments

A spokesperson for Khan, who has been the Mayor of London since 2016, stated that he believes London 'would be the perfect place' to host Joshua versus Fury and is 'ready to support' those ambitions.

"London is the sporting capital of the world, and the Mayor is working to bring more of the world's biggest events to the city," the spokesperson stated.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, pictured (Image: Getty)

"London has staged some of the biggest boxing events in recent history at Wembley Stadium, with record crowds of over 90,000 attending heavyweight contests involving Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois and Tyson Fury vs Dillian Whyte.

"Sadiq has made it clear that London would be the perfect place to stage the long-awaited bout between Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury and the Mayor stands ready to support ambitions to bring the event to our capital as we build a better London for everyone."

According to Brent Council licensing documents seen by Box.live, Wembley's original premises licence included 'provision for a limited number of overnight events'.

Alalshikh claimed on Tuesday that his team had been told 'it is not possible' to stage Fury vs Joshua at a later start time in the UK, though the above statements appear to indicate that is not the case.

Sources close to the Mayor of London told BBC Sport that Alalshikh or members of his team have not yet been in contact to hold discussions surrounding the blockbuster fight.