Tickets for the heavyweight fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua sold out within one hour on Friday as demand overwhelmed the ticketing system, with about 80,000 seats for the all-British contest at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium going on sale at noon.
The BBC reported that more than 500,000 people were already waiting in the online queue minutes after the sale opened.
Prices ranged from £88.50 to £13,128, including booking fees. Resale listings appeared shortly after the official sale closed, with ringside VIP seats advertised for £73,645 and upper-tier seats for £425.
The bill begins on December 11, but the main event is not expected until the early hours of Saturday, December 12. Ringwalks are planned for about 1am, after a short live music performance, and the stadium will stay open until 3.30am. Netflix will broadcast the fight globally, while organisers are yet to announce the undercard.
The 38-year-old Fury and the 36-year-old Joshua, both former two-time world champions, signed contracts for the bout earlier this year. The fight was announced in September, with Cardiff chosen after Wembley Stadium in London and Madison Square Garden in New York presented obstacles.
The event is being promoted jointly by The Ring, linked to Saudi boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh, and UFC chief Dana White. That arrangement was in doubt 11 days before the sale, when Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, argued that his fighter’s contract barred White from a promotional role. The two fighters later met at a news conference on September 30 to begin the build-up.
Their combined purse is reportedly close to $200m (£151m), with each man said to earn £75m.
The late finish depends on a one-off change to the stadium’s premises licence. Millennium Stadium plc, which operates the venue, has asked Cardiff Council to extend the 1am limit on boxing and wrestling to 3am, with the same extension for live and recorded music, late-night refreshments and alcohol sales. The roof will stay closed, and extra security and stewarding will be in place.
The late start has angered some British fans, who say it is meant for the American audience. Netflix reportedly wanted a later start so the fight could air at a reasonable hour in the United States.
The stadium has hosted late-night boxing before. Joe Calzaghe’s fight against Mikkel Kessler began at 1am in November 2007, while Ricky Hatton’s 2005 win over Kostya Tszyu at Manchester’s MEN Arena started at about 2am local time to suit US broadcaster Showtime.
