By Scott Gilfoid: Tony Bellew and promoter Frank Warren verbally jousted on Monday on the subject of whether a $50 million contract was sent by WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder’s management to Anthony Joshua for a unification fight.
Warren says he absolutely knows that a $50 million contact was sent by Wilder’s manage to Joshua because he saw the contract. Bellew says he doesn’t believe that a $50 million offer was ever made because if it had, Joshua would have surely accepted it. During the back and forth discussion, Bellew sounded like he was about to blow his stack for some reason. Warren sounded so calm like he was reading a newspaper in stating how Joshua had been sent huge $50 million offer for a Wilder fight, but Bellew didn’t want to have any part of it. Why was Bellew so worked up, that’s what I’d like to know.
It looks so bad that Joshua would turn down $50 million plus another $30 million for a rematch against Wilder. For a lot of boxing fans, they’re going to be even more disappointed in Joshua than they were before.
What’s interesting about the back and forth discussion is how Bellew seemed to be taking Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn’s side in saying that the contract offer of $50 million was ever sent, even when Warren said he saw the contract with his own eyes. Bellew ends up sounding childish in saying that he was never sent a contract after he previously seemed to be agreeing that it was sent.
“It takes two to make a deal,” Warren said to Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast. ”If you really want to make a deal, you make it happen. All I know is Joshua turned down a guarantee of $80 million dollars. That’s $50 million for a purse and $30 million guaranteed for a rematch. That wasn’t the purses. That was the guarantee.”
Oh, this is so sad that Joshua would turn down $80 million smackers for a fight against Joshua. The boxing fans originally had heard it was $50 million that Joshua rejected for the Wilder fight. But if what Warren says is 100 percent solid, it means Joshua turned town $80 million. It’s just unbelievable that Joshua would turn down that much money for a fight against Wilder. I mean, all I can think is Joshua must REALLY not want to fight Wilder if he’s turning down $80 million.
Bellew said this in response to Warren on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast:
”It’s all well and good saying a guarantee, Frank, but there’s no contract and nothing to sign.”
How does Bellew know that there is no contract that was sent? Warren is saying that there was an offer from Wilder’s management, and Bellew is invalidating what he’s saying.
Warren: ”There was a contract sent. I seen it. I know exactly what went down, so there was a contract.”
So there it is. Warren says he saw the contract that was sent out by Wilder’s management. I think that’s good enough for a lot of people to believe that there was a contract sent. Warren has no dog in this hunt.
Bellew: ”How can you see it if you’re not the promoter of him? [Deontay Wilder]. How is that even
possible?”
Warren: ”Because I work with Shelly Finkel, the management of Deontay Wilder,” Warren said. ”That’s why we’re having negotiations.”
Bellew: ”He shouldn’t be showing you personal contracts and information, especially a contract of a fighter that is supposed to be the top of the bill that we haven’t seen.”
Warren: ”Whether he should or shouldn’t, you just asked the question. I just told you what’s in it.”
Bellew: ”And I’m just telling you it didn’t happen.”
Warren: ”You haven’t seen it; whereas I do know it for a fact.”
Bellew: ”I also know for a fact that if a contract was over $50 million, he [Joshua] would have took it.”
Warren: ”Well, 100 percent it was sent for the offer along with the guarantee along with Showtime’s guarantee along with the U.S broadcaster.”
This is very interesting how worked up Bellew got during this little discussion. Warren seemed totally calm the while time, but for some reason Bellew started sounding like his kettle was on the boil. What difference does it make to Bellew whether Joshua rejected $50 million to fight Wilder? If Joshua doesn’t fancy the fight with Wilder, then so be it. What’s the big deal? Obviously, Joshua prefers to fight the likes of 38-year-old Alexander Povetkin, Carlos Takam and Joseph Parker.
Bellew says he’s going to be fighting IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO cruiserweight champion Aleksandr Usyk (15-0, 11 KOs) next in the UK. The fight still doesn’t have a date, but it’s expected to take place later this year in November.
”We have spoken and agreed that it [Bellew vs. Usyk] will happen in the UK, and we’ve agreed on a time scale for it to happen,” Bellew said to Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast.
Usyk will be a huge favorite when he gets Bellew inside the ring with him. This fight could turn out a lot like Usyk’s mismatch against Marco Huck last year. Usyk halted the past his prime Huck in the 10th round. Bellew might not even do as good as Huck, as he’s clearly not in the same league as the German fighter.
This is a tense listen… 😬@TonyBellew and @FrankWarren_TV go head-to-head as they discuss if @AnthonyJoshua was really offered $50m to fight @BronzeBomber 💰 pic.twitter.com/K9im6hv7nw
— The Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast (@SportsBreakfast) July 30, 2018