Finkel and Hearn (Sr) met up last year to have an informal chat on the logistics of making a heavyweight fight between Wilder and Anthony Joshua before Eddie intervened via email.
Despite telling Finkel he’d take over the negotiations, which included an agreed fight against Dillian Whyte, Hearn never responded past initial contact.
“What I said was that on November 29th, 2017, I met with Barry Hearn, which is Eddie’s father,” Finkel told Yahoo Sports.
“And he said that he believed he could bring more people to Vegas, at a higher ticket price, that we would make more money than if we fought in the UK. So I said to him, ‘We’re open to fight either place. If you’re ready, we could make a deal.’ He also asked us if we would fight on February 3rd against Dillian Whyte. I said, ‘Sure if we could make Joshua.’
“I got a letter later that day, and it was from Eddie. He says, ‘Hi Shelly. Glad you had a good chin wag with the old man.’ I laugh a little because this is the language I never could’ve made up.
“I will get the respective profits-losses to you this week for discussion. All the best, Eddie.’ That was on November 29th. I have not heard from him since. Then he goes on that we were asking for this, and we were asking for that. We haven’t asked for anything.
“When they make these ridiculous statements, I’ll counter to save face. We’re ready to fight him. We’re ready to do it whenever.”
Wilder called out Joshua before and after his explosive win over Luis Ortiz on Saturday night and wants to talk face-to-face during a trip to the UK later this month.
Joshua defends his titles against Joseph Parker to become a four-belt champion, and Wilder will be ringside working the broadcast with Showtime Boxing.
A meeting could go a long way to getting a deal done for 2018, with the winner then primed to walk away as the first-ever completely undisputed champion of all time in the top division.
