Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury's long-awaited all-British showdown will take place at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Friday December 11.

The location of the fight had been a major stumbling block during negotiations for the hugely anticipated heavyweight clash.

Fury took to social media on multiple occasions to pin the blame for the delay on Joshua, before even touting a trilogy fight against Oleksandr Usyk, against whom both have lost twice, while Joshua's side had insisted the bout ought to be held in Britain.

But there was only ever one fight truly on the cards for them, with confirmation now coming that the heavyweight rivals will finally meet in arguably the biggest fight in British boxing history.

"For 15 years no one has been able to make this fight. Back in April, I said that any announcement would come from me," Turki Alalshikh wrote on X.

"I can now confirm that Fury Vs Joshua will be coming to the UK, as I promised British boxing fans. The time for talking is over........"

The start time of the fight, which reportedly could be in the early hours of Saturday morning in the UK to cater to US television audiences, has yet to be confirmed.

The pair will appear together at a press conference in London on Wednesday September 30.

Both Fury and Joshua swiftly reposted the promotional image for the fight to their social media channels.

Joshua shared a cryptic post shortly before Alalshikh's announcement, hinting at his own influence on the protracted negotiations.

"The quietest ones often pull the strings," Joshua wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of himself in front of a Union Jack. "Those who appear least involved may hold the greatest control. Let them shout first, the wisest wait until the final move. Yours truly, Anthony Joshua."

Joshua and Fury, both former heavyweight world champions, have had a long-running rivalry that's stretched over years, punctuated by callouts and trash talk but marred by the difficulty of finalising a deal.

Earlier this year the British boxing stars did sign to fight one another but months passed without a date or a venue being set. The wrangling intensified as taking the contest to New York's Madison Square Garden became a genuine possibility.

The fight appeared to be on the edge of collapse once again, with Fury threatening to seek alternative options.

But the all-British showdown has been salvaged and has now set a date for a UK stadium.

The Principality Stadium is no stranger to major UK boxing events. Joshua has fought there twice before, against Carlos Takam and in a unification with Joseph Parker. Historically, the all-British heavyweight super-fight between Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno took place at the National Stadium in Cardiff, which preceded the Principality.

The main event is expected to start late at night due to international broadcasting considerations. But there is a precedent for that. Joe Calzaghe's 2007 fight with Mikkel Kessler took place at the stadium in the early hours of the morning.

As tortuous as negotiations for this super-fight have been, events in the ring also threatened to derail it.

Joshua's tune-up bout in July almost ended in disaster when little-known Kristian Prenga knocked him down twice in the first round. Joshua rallied to dispatch Prenga in the second round.

Fury's road to the fight has also been unusual. He announced his retirement after losing a rematch to Oleksandr Usyk and, after a year out of the sport, began training in Thailand. In April he came back at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London when he soundly outpointed Aslanbek Makhmudov.

He decided he wanted his own additional warm-up in July and boxed Mariusz Wach in Thailand in a non-TV bout, eventually stopping the veteran after seven rounds.

But the long journey towards Fury vs Joshua is now in its final stretch, set to end finally on December 11 in Cardiff.