Fury and Joshua arrive in London for first face-off ahead of Cardiff clash

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are in London for the first face-off of their fight.

Both men arrived ahead of a launch news conference on Wednesday, 30 September, to build towards their bout on 11 December at Cardiff's Principality Stadium, BBC reported.

Fury travelled from the United States, where he had been at Walt Disney World Resort with his family. Joshua flew in from his training camp in Dubai.

Wednesday will be the first time they have stood face to face since the fight was officially announced. Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh confirmed the matchup on Thursday, with the announcement also carried on social media, Reuters reported.

The launch event takes place at the British Airways ARC in Olympia. It is due to start at 6:00 p.m. BST / 1:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, 30 September, and will be streamed live on Netflix Sports, BoxingScene reported.

Cardiff won the race to stage the fight. It beat competition from London and New York, after London Mayor Sadiq Khan had said earlier in September he was keen to bring the bout to Wembley Stadium.

The build-up has already had a rocky moment. Netflix had said Alalshikh's The Ring magazine and UFC boss Dana White would collaborate to promote Fury-Joshua. Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn then said Joshua's contract prevented White from having a promotional role.

White said on Saturday night he did not know whether the fight or Wednesday's news conference would happen. He will not attend the London launch, the BBC reported.

There was also movement on drug testing. Fury's manager Spencer Brown said Fury is now enrolled in the VADA testing programme, the independent body that carries out random blood and urine tests in boxing.

For fans, this means a first proper read of the mood. No punches, no bell, just two big heavyweights in the same room to start selling a December night in Cardiff that has been years in the making.