By Jeff Aronow: Eddie Hearn approves of Deontay Wilder facing Charles Martin in their rumored fight; he sees it as a good match-up between them. Interestingly, Hearn believes the former IBF heavyweight champion Martin (28-2-1, 25 KOs) might beat Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs).
Hearn thinks the former WBC champion Wilder has completely lost the plot after listening to his rant during an interview he did last weekend in which he blamed his ex-trainer Mark Breland for his loss. Wilder thinks Breland put something in his way, and it was based on him being jealous of his success.
Martin, 34, hasn’t done much with his career since losing his IBF title to Anthony Joshua by a second-round knockout in 2016. He’s only fought six times in the last five years, losing one and winning five, albeit against lesser opposition.
Given how easily the southpaw Martin folded against Joshua, it’s hard to see him last more than a round or two against Wilder.
Even a glancing blow from Wilder might be enough to take out Martin. Of course, if Wilder is fighting with an injured right bicep like he was for his rematch with Fury, all bets are off.
Charles Martin might beat Wilder
“Not giving interviews to traditional media like major outlets, and then he just pops up on some random thing,” said Hearn to iFL TV about Deontay Wilder.
“That’s a good fight, Charles Martin can fight,” said Hearn when told that Martin is one of the options for Wilder’s next fight.
“I know AJ cleaned him out in two rounds, but it was a great performance. Charles Martin can fight. Still, it was a good fight then, and it’s a good fight now. Charles Martin might beat Deontay Wilder,” said Hearn.
Martin doesn’t have the most excellent chin, and that’s going to make it difficult for him to last any length of time against Wilder. With that said, Martin hits harder than Tyson Fury, and we saw what he was able to do to Wilder.
The longer Wilder stays out of the ring, the more difficult it’s going to be for him to return to the form that he once had. At this point, Wilder might be vulnerable against almost any heavyweight, particularly a southpaw like the 6’5′ Martin.
Breland said about Wilder not training hard, which’s troubling, and it doesn’t bode well for his future. Wilder is in his mid-30s now, and he can’t get away with not training for important fights.
He’s got to learn and keep improving if he doesn’t want his opposition to taking advantage of the things Fury exposed.
Hearn reacts to Wilder interview
“He sounds like he’s relaxing a bit at home. I couldn’t believe it when I listened to it,” said Hearn.
“Just listen to the interview [from Wilder]. I played the interview and listened to it for two minutes, and I couldn’t believe what I was listening to.
“It was so bizarre. I don’t like it, really. Mark Breland, for a lot of people that are a lot younger than me, you probably never got a chance to watch Mark Breland fight.
“What a fighter and a good boxing man. He’s dedicated his whole life to the sport, and I kind of feel a little bit bad that he’s kind of ruined his legacy.
“In the future, when you talk about Mark Breland, you won’t be saying this guy was. He was a WBA [welterweight] world champion, and what a great fighter and good trainer.
“This is the guy that Wilder accused him of spiking his drink. I just feel that going and listening to Deontay Wilder’s interview last night; he’s completely lost his mind.
“When you start talking about yourself in the third person, ‘what Kings do. I’m a King.’ You’re not a King. You just got beat [by Tyson Fury]. You could be a King, but not at the moment,” Hearn said.
Wilder’s interview was disturbing to listen to because he sounded convinced that Breland was against him rather than trying to help.
Breland got carried away
“He’s like, ‘The reason why Mark Breland did this, and I thought this all along, he’s actually jealous of me.,'” said Hearn about Wilder. “So he threw the towel in, and he spiked your drink because he was jealous of you.
“I didn’t really like what Mark Breland said, to be honest with you, because he undermined him as a fighter.
“He basically said Wilder was useless. If you train with someone for so long, I feel like I would have done the same as Breland.
“Sometimes, it’s better to come out and hold your dignity. ‘You know what? He can say what he says. I know who I am.
“I know the trainer I am and the individual I am, and that’s all I’m going to say.’
“But he’s probably extremely pissed off that he hasn’t been able to have his say, and when he got the chance to speak, he basically said, ‘Wilder doesn’t train.’
“He said Wilder can’t box, he has no jab, he’s never beaten anyone, and he’s never beating Fury.
“I think he [Breland] got carried away. I don’t like either of them because that was obviously a strong relationship at one time,” said Hearn.
You can’t blame Breland for going off on Wilder and explaining what he went through while trying to train him. Wilder said a lot of stuff that clearly angered Breland, making him want to tell his side of the story.
Unfortunately, Breland veered off-topic by saying that Wilder didn’t train hard and that he had to run everything by his other trainer Jay Deas when he wanted to give him pointers. Breland makes it sound like he went through a nightmarish time as Wilder’s trainer.
Wilder and Ruiz need to return
“Let’s see him back in the ring,” Hearn said of Wilder. “Where is Andy Ruiz? I love Andy Ruiz.
“I think he’s so good to watch and so exciting, and Wilder is so exciting to watch as well.
“You’ve got the biggest fight in heavyweight boxing, one of the biggest fights in heavyweight history trying to get made, but let’s get the other ones.
“Usyk-Joyce, another great. Deontay Wilder – Andy Ruiz, Dillian Whyte against Povetkin, Parker against Fa, Chisora against Parker. Let’s get moving. Hrgovic-Hunter, where’s Michael Hunter?
You said you’d box for free against Dillian Whyte and Tyson Fury, but when we made you an offer to fight Filip Hrgovic, you didn’t even reply.
“So come on, let’s make the fights. I really want to see Wilder back; it’s great for boxing, and so is Andy Ruiz,” said Hearn.
It’s one thing for Wilder not to be returning, considering the way he lost, but it seems strange that former IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr has been inactive for so long.
Ruiz has taken the weight off that he packed on before his rematch with Anthony Joshua. He should have been back by this point, and he’s going to hurt his career if he still hasn’t fought by the end of 2021.
Ruiz made a big production about firing his trainer Manny Robles and signing on with Eddy Reynoso.
Well, Ruiz has been with Reynoso for a year now, and he hasn’t fought, and he’s wasting his time. If Ruiz is going to be inactive, he might as well go back to his former trainer.