Hearn: Wilder should have no say so where Joshua fight happens

By Boxing News - 11/13/2017 - Comments

Image: Hearn: Wilder should have no say so where Joshua fight happens

By Juan Flores: Hearn: Wilder should have no say so where Joshua fight happens
Eddie Hearn says WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder should have no input for where his unification fight against IBF/WBA heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua talks place, because he’s not nearly as popular as him.

According to Hearn, Wilder making 8 times less than Joshua means he shouldn’t have a say in where a fight against him takes place. Further, Wilder isn’t going to get the 50-50 purse split against Joshua. That’s not going to happen. Hearn is already making jokes about Wilder’s request for an even split for the money for the Joshua fight. Hearn doesn’t want to even entertain that notion.

If Wilder isn’t going to be getting 50-50 split of the loot, and if he can’t have any input on where the Joshua fight takes place, then it seems like it’s untenable situation. This is supposed to be a unification fight between two heavyweight world champions. This isn’t Joshua a voluntary title defense against a needy, down in his luck fringe contender. Deontay (39-0, 38 KOs) is an undefeated world champion with one of the best records and one of the highest knockout rations in the sport of boxing. If Wilder can’t get the 50-50 split and can’t have any say in where the fight with Joshua will take place, then it’s not going to be worth taking the fight.

“Wilder should have no say in where that fight happens,” Hearn said to badlefthook.com. “Why? Because he’s earned eight times less than Anthony’s earned! And he’s sold 4,000 tickets for his last. The fight should be where Anthony Joshua chooses,” said Hearn.

Hearn almost sounds angry with the way he’s talking. That’s not a good look for a promoter that needs to be calm and gracious during the negotiations for a fight. After all, it’s Joshua that is so eager to get his hands on Wilder’s WBC heavyweight title. The only way Joshua is going to have a chance of winning Wilder’s WBC strap is if Hearn can do his job by negotiating the fight. With the hardball manner in which Hearn is going about putting together the Joshua-Wilder and Joshua vs. Joseph Parker unification fights, it’s quite possible he’ll have luck in putting either of those fights together.

”I heard Wilder’s comments about it’s a 50-50. I mean, mate, there’s more chance of me running the New York Marathon in under three hours than that fight being a 50-50!” said Hearn.

Well, if Wilder sticks to his guns and insists on a 50-50 deal, Hearn might have to accommodate him if he wants Joshua to have a chance to fight for his WBC title. Look at it this way. Hearn can either make the Joshua-Wilder fight right now with an even 50-50 split, or possibly be in a position of weakness in having to take a smaller cut than Wilder after big Joshua gets beaten by one of his contenders.

Right now, Deontay Wilder looks like the better fighter of the two, and the one more capable of holding onto his WBC title for a longer period than Joshua with his IBF and WBC straps. It would be in Joshua’s best interest to take the fight with Wilder while he’s still unbeaten and holding down his belts. Once Joshua loses to someone, he’s not going to be able to demand the lion’s share of the purse against Wilder.