Reports in the US suggesting Eddie Hearn has made an offer to Deontay Wilder is all good and well. But let’s be honest, that’s all it is – an offer.
Recent evidence would suggest that there’s not a cat in hell’s chance of Hearn ever securing the services of Wilder.
You only have to look at the fiery exchanges between the pair to realize all would not work out well in that department.
Wilder putting pen to paper with Hearn would be nigh on an impossibility at this point. This leaves an Anthony Joshua clash continuously in doubt.
The only way fathomable for Wilder to move closer to facing Joshua would be to sign for DAZN. But rest assured Wilder would want Hearn out of the picture on that score.
Here’s just a taste of the past relationship between Wilder and Hearn. It doesn’t make good reading or for a partnership transpiring at any point in the future.
DEONTAY WILDER
“I think what Eddie has done is burnt bridges in America with the fans and with the networks like Showtime.
“They are burning bridges with everyone and how do you expect to sign an American fighter when you are conducting yourself like that?
“You can’t even seal the biggest purse your client will ever get in his career.
“What have you done for his (Danny Jacobs’) career lately? This (Eddie Hearn’s conduct) is a sickness in boxing and we need to get this disease out of here.” – Wilder on Sirius XM Boxing Radio in June 2018.
PEANUTS
“The first undisputed, undefeated unified heavyweight champion Of the world since (Lennox) Lewis.
“They tried too you know…They asked for jungle deep numbers just to get out of the fight not knowing we were hustlers, so we served’em (The Money’s in da bag)
“Just like a game of spades… What he (Eddie Hearn/Anthony Joshua) do? Just told a bald-faced lie, he’s not a stand-up guy.
“Instead, he wanted to fight in his country, I respect that. They offered me a ‘flat-fee’ (crack head money). Something that’s equivalent to a pack of peanuts, a loaf bread and a jar of honey!
“Look, I represent the dirty south and I am a product of my environment. Bama (Alabama) is where I made it out. This is survival food, so I’m used to it.
“So I said, give me the gun I’ll do it. I just basically took the lowest offer in boxing history for a unified title bout (brain dead).
“My team and I bent over backward accepting everything they threw at us just to find out this boy is terrified of me, p****.
.
“Three months of tea parties by grown men and they didn’t even have the British hospitality to offer biscuits with the tea! – Damn.PLAYED
“I said all that past s*** to tell the story and to apologize, I’m sorry guys they played us all.
“F*** ’em! We move forward and the future is still bright 51-0 baby let’s go!” – Wilder statement in June 2018
“Man poor Eddie-Weddie. Man you know I mean you’ve got to think it’s come from him and he’s a grown man.
“But he was living in the fantasy world like he was a grown little kid. You know all the manipulation and the lies and the contradictions but they are so old that I don’t want to bring that up.
“When you think about the past, You bring up the old feelings and those feelings that I have. It wasn’t anything and it wasn’t comfortable for me. You know they did a lot of things to try to mess up the sport.
WOKEN
“This sport is a great sport. You know when people thought it was a great thing that it was good, now is backfiring on them and everyone as well you should see the people over there. Everyone is WOKEN.
“They understand and they know what’s going on. They tell us no one likes Eddie over there. But then when he talked about you know like all types of ways for him everybody has woken you know to all this. This is the saga that we had. You know it took four months for these guys. Four months and they could have said I don’t want to fight.
“If you don’t want to fight you just said it is still trying to come up with every narrative trying to come up with every line. Every time we reach the goal post they want a move. like this so we can move on.
“You know those times you would be to have some type of TV or stuff like that. But like I said that’s in the past. I know Eddie is playing the pilot can he get into some black magic or something and some voodoo doll. He doesn’t want the fight to happen. – Wilder in August 2018.
EDDIE HEARN
“Deontay is probably ringing him up every day asking what’s next for me? if it’s not Joshua then who is it and how much you going to pay me?
“If it’s not Joshua they’re bang in trouble and the future doesn’t look great for Deontay Wilder.” – Hearn to World Boxing News in August 2018
“I’m sick and tired of idiots out there who think he wants the fight. Just listen to what he’s saying.
BORING
“Boring, boring, boring. Mate, f*** off, you ain’t earned $3 million. You could walk up any city, any high street, any town in the world, ask anyone who Deontay Wilder is, nobody has got a f****** clue.
“He wants 60-40? Idiot. Don’t waste our time. Don’t use Joshua’s name to gain profile and publicity.” – Eddie Hearn to IFL TV in October 2018.
THE REAL PROBLEM
All this doesn’t make for a healthy relationship. Hearn offering Wilder a purse to fight anyone of his choice before Anthony Joshua will never work.
As per Shelly Finkel to WBN when Tyson Fury, Top Rank and ESPN did similar, Wilder can do his own fight on Showtime prior to any Joshua unification.
But the biggest stumbling block isn’t even the Hearn-Wilder relationship. It’s boxing’s new super-power, TV. Wilder wants to fight (Joshua or Fury) on PPV. So making a deal between DAZN And Showtime will be massively complicated.
Do DAZN fans get the fight for free, whilst Showtime PPV costs $70 to $100? That’s where this deal dies in negotiations and not with a tongue in cheek Eddie Hearn proposal.
The fact that the pair evidently despise each other just adds even more fuel to the fire.
DAZN could conceivably agree a short-term two-fight deal with Wilder if the money is right. That’s definitely not out of the question.
Although history suggests Hearn won’t be allowed anywhere near the ‘Bronze Bomber’ and his career movements going forward.
Phil Jay is Editor of World Boxing News. Follow on Twitter @PhilDJay
