Why is Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua taking place in Cardiff and not Wembley Stadium?

After weeks of speculation, Cardiff's Principality Stadium has officially been announced as the venue for Tyson Fury's long-awaited domestic dust-up with Anthony Joshua.

The British boxing behemoths have long been speculated to finally settle their differences inside the ring later this year, but the big hold-up in the announcement has always centered around when it will take place.

With streaming giants Netflix holding exclusive rights for the fight, they were understandably keen to maximise their viewing audience, meaning New York City's Madison Square Garden appeared to be the front-runner.

Whilst the fabled venue in the Big Apple possesses nowhere near the number of seats as Wembley or the Principality, the time zone on the East Coast of the United States would likely have offered them the best chance of pulling in the largest number of worldwide viewers.

There was an appetite from Team Fury to run with this, however, Anthony Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn were never quite so sure, pointing to the fact that a domestic fight of this stature should take place on home soil.

Eventually, they won their battle -- much to the delight of boxing fans in the United Kingdom and Ireland, but it has come at a cost... a significantly later start time than normal.

Netflix and Saudi Arabian bankroller Turki Alalshikh would only sign off on a UK venue with a start time in the early hours of the morning, to ensure fight fans across the pond, could live-stream the event during sociable hours.

That meant an 02:00 (BST) start time would be necessary, something London's Wembley Stadium simply couldn't accommodate.

The English capital invokes a strict outdoor event curfew, meaning a start time of 02:00 (GMT) wouldn't work. Even London Major Sadiq Khan voiced his desire for the rule to be changed, but it proved in vain.

The Principality Stadium, like Wembley, boasts over 80,000 seats, which always made it a viable option.

But as soon as the Cardiff City Council announced that they would extend the curfew, as opposed to London's unwillingness to do so, it quickly established itself as the front-runner.

The venue previously staged a high-profile fight at a similar time; Joe Calzaghe's sensational victory over Mikkel Kessler back in 2007, proving the authorities there could facilitate the timing and logistics of the event.

There is also the added factor that the Principality Stadium houses a retractable roof, meaning that should rain or even snow be falling on fight night, fans and fighters would be well out of the elements -- an undoubtedly welcome asset.