Tyson Fury's outspoken father has made his thoughts on the long-awaited fight clear

John Fury wishes the long-awaited showdown between his son and Anthony Joshua had never been made. The heavyweight rivals will finally collide in Cardiff on Friday, December 11, but Tyson's father won't be ringside.

The bout has been demanded by British boxing fans for over a decade, with the Principality Stadium already sold out and millions worldwide expected to tune in via Netflix. Yet one person who didn't want to see it materialise is John.

He recognises that while both fighters are beyond their prime, they remain formidable forces capable of inflicting serious damage on one another. Speaking in the forthcoming BBC series Rivals, before the fight was confirmed, he said defeat would be too much to bear for the loser.

He said: "I hope it never happens. They'll get that much stick, the loser, they won't be able to cope with it. Even though these two guys are not at their best they've still got a lot of power and they could still hurt each other, you know. And you just don't want to see either man walk around after being greats [for people] to laugh at, really."

John, who claimed earlier this year that his relationship with Tyson was "completely destroyed", confirmed he won't be at the fight, telling Playbook Boxing: "I'll be honest with you, no. I won't be attending.

"Let me tell you, you have more chance of seeing a cow fly than me bothering with it. I don't like the people in it, and I know accidents can happen. I'm not involved, so I don't want to go to the fight.

"I'll be doing what his mother does. I'll wait for somebody to tell me who wins the fight. I don't need validation to go to a boxing match and sit there and be an absolute spare p**** at the wedding."

Unsurprisingly, Matchroom bosses Barry and Eddie Hearn, who represent Joshua, are thrilled that the bout has finally been confirmed and will take place on home soil, following concerns it might be staged in the United States.

Matchroom president and founder Barry said: "People like me, I've been waiting 10 years for this. I don't have another 10 years! I want to see this fight.

"I would have been devastated if this fight for any reason didn't happen, because why? Why are we in this business? Isn't it to create moments and memories that live on? And I will never forget Joshua against [Wladimir] Klitschko. Fortunately, everyone's seen sense."

Speaking in Rivals, which will be available to watch on iPlayer from November 10, Eddie said: "Both these guys have played a huge part in changing the sport forever in this country. This is one of the biggest sporting events, if not the biggest, sporting event Britain has ever seen."

While the event gets underway on Friday night, December 11, the main event is scheduled for the early hours of Saturday morning to cater for audiences in the US.