Eddie Hearn admits sales have been a little slower for Anthony Joshua this time around but still expects a crowd of around 80,000.
The Matchroom boss reacted to questions regarding the tickets for Joshua v Povetkin, which haven’t sold out with just over a week to go.
In the past, Joshua fights against Wladimir Klitschko and Joseph Parker saw tickets snapped up in super-fast time, although the fallout from a failed undisputed clash with Deontay Wilder is thought to have played a part.
Mentioning the Wilder collapse, Hearn said tongue-in-cheek that the lack of drama in the build-up was a factor for Joshua v Povetkin.
“We have had to work a bit harder this time. Normally when you go on sale with an Anthony Joshua fight it just goes ‘ping’. But it has been slower than Wladimir Klitschko and Joseph Parker,” Hearn told The Guardian.
“The only thing that aggravates me is that anyone in boxing I have spoken to says it is a tough fight. Whereas the man on the street goes to me: ‘When’s the [Deontay] Wilder fight?’ I say he has to get through Povetkin first and they say: ‘He’ll knock him out.’ Who knows?
“If Povetkin had come over and tried to nut Joshua at the press conference we would have sold out immediately. Instead there are a lot of people saying: ‘I will come in April for the Wilder fight.’
“The only tickets that won’t go are the 15,000 we could only sell as part of a coach package, that was part of the deal. We have done 3,000-4,000, but people just don’t want to come by coach. However we will have over 80,000 in there,” he added.
WILDER
Joshua needs a win to set-up the opportunity to make a renewed offer to Wilder for April.
Wilder’s team have informed WBN that they will not negotiate until a fight with Tyson Fury is over. This means Joshua could have to put an unification thoughts on hold until 2019.
Fury’s WBC title challenge is scheduled to take place this December in Las Vegas, with the winner primed for a huge offer to face Joshua in the spring.
