By Scott Gilfoid: Deontay Wilder thinks the overriding reason why Tyson Fury chose to fight him was because he wanted to stand up for the United Kingdom after the way that Anthony Joshua ducked ‘The Bronze Bomber’ by turning down a $50 million offer and taking a fight with Alexander Povetkin.
Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs) feels that Fury didn’t like the way Joshua made his country look in swerving the fight against him, so he chose to be the one that took the fight
“Fury wants to stand up for his city,” Wilder said to IFL TV. “This is the only reason why Tyson wants to do this for you guys. He felt like your champion [Anthony Joshua] was embarrassing. He was embarrassing the country. Fury was fed up with it. He said, ‘I got to save his people. I’m too dangerous. I’m too explosive,” Wilder said.
It must have made Fury furious to see how Joshua seemed petrified about fighting Wilder, and looking for any excuse to get out of the fight, which fortunately for him came when the World Boxing Association ordered him to face mandatory challenger Povetkin. Joshua could have easily gotten out of that to take the Joshua fight, but he didn’t. He chose the easier path.
“No, I wasn’t happy, because I know my worth,” Wilder said about the $15 million flat fee offer from Anthony Joshua’s management. “I know I was going to knock him out. I was going to do it for the fans. Look what I did to [Luis] Ortiz. I shouldn’t be talking about a flat fee for $15 million. Look what I did to Ortiz. He was a big risk, low reward. The money is going to come. I want to unify, especially once I knock Fury out. It’s over,” Wilder said.
Wilder doesn’t seem interested in the flat fee that Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has been trying to stick down his throat. If Wilder is going to agree to a fight against Joshua, it’s going to take more than a measly $15 million flat fee.
“Povetkin didn’t bring no status to him. If anything, it declined. Eddie [Hearn] said it was going to raise it, didn’t he? You can’t trust this man. He’s unworthy,” Wilder said in taking aim at Joshua and Hearn with both barrels. You don’t know how hard we tried to make this fight for you guys. They don’t want it. Keep him [Joshua] here in the UK. Let him be your champion, because he can’t be a global champion without fighting Deontay Wilder. I’m not losing. I just beat the number #2 heavyweight in the world, and I’m about to fight the #3,” Wilder said.
So there it is. Wilder sees Hearn as untrustworthy and says he wouldn’t want him on his side if he had to fight five guys in an alley. Wilder said he would fight himself rather than trust Hearn to help him. Wilder sees Joshua as not a world champion, but rather a champion of the UK. With the way that Hearn is selectively matching Joshua against certain guys, it gives Wilder the opinion that AJ is the champion of only his country.
They [Team Joshua] don’t want the fight. I can accept that. Me and my team have moved on,” Wilder said. “Shelly Finkel has been in the game for long time. They didn’t have any problems meeting with him when he was with Klitschko, when they did the Klitschko thing. Joshua said he WILL fight Deontay Wilder. You know that ain’t happening. Me and Tyson Fury set this thing up over a conversation. Me and Joshua could have done this. We were supposed to get on the phone, but he needed someone to be there to narrate the situation because he was scared to talk to me in person,” Wilder said.
It’s interesting what Wilder says about Joshua wanting a narrator present when he spoke to Wilder on the phone rather than talking to him one on one the way that Fury did. Why would Joshua want a narrator on the phone for a simple conversation with Deontay? It’s not as if Wilder and Joshua don’t both speak English? Wilder sees it as case of Joshua being scared to talk to him. It’s kind sad if true. If the two fighters could speak to each other, it’s possible that they could come to an agreement for a fight in the same way Deontay and Fury did. Oh well, I guess Joshua wants a narrator for his conversations with Wilder.
“Doesn’t it feel impossible now?” Wilder said in sounding like he’s given up on the idea of fighting Joshua. “Don’t get your hopes up for that. That s–t ain’t going to be right [the purse split]. The terms ain’t going to be right. They move the goal posts. They have other organizations that helped them escape from the situation,” Wilder said in what appeared to be a jab at the WBA ordering Joshua to fight mandatory Povetkin while he was still in negotiations with Wilder for a fight in September.
Wilder isn’t going to agree to a flat fee from Joshua and his promoter for April 13. If those two want the unification fight with Wilder to take place next year, they’re going to need to give up on the idea of offering him flat fees. Wilder wants a percentage deal, and he’s already made it crystal clear that he wants 50% of the loot for the fight. Whether Hearn has the negotiating ability to persuade Wilder to agree to less than a 50-50 deal remains to be seen I think it’s highly doubtful right now, especially if Wilder destroys Fury on December 1.
“The only way I can see the April date happening is if the fans make it happen,” Wilder said. “We’re not tolerating no bull. If Barry [Hearn] said he don’t care, then let it be. Do what you’re going to do. I don’t have any pressure on me. ‘When you going to fight Wilder,’ they want to see that fight, and the more and more they run, more heats going to come [from the fans]. He’s got to worry about that. Everybody is praising me,” Wilder said.
