Shelly Finkel has opened up on the reason Deontay Wilder knocked back the advances of DAZN for a recent lucrative contract.
Wilder turned away a reported multi-fight offer worth upwards of $100 million to stick with Showtime for the immediate future.
After witnessing a return with Tyson Fury fall apart, Wilder was courted by DAZN to join the ranks ahead of an undisputed unification with Anthony Joshua.
Instead, Wilder is now preparing to defend his WBC heavyweight title against mandatory challenger Dominic Breazeale in New York on his usual platform.
Finkel explained the decision to reject the streaming service. As well as outlining his view that if the Joshua clash happens it will be a one-off affair.
“(If Joshua got knocked out) I don’t believe there would be a rematch, they (Matchroom and Eddie Hearn) wouldn’t want him to get knocked out twice,” Finkel told Sirius XM At The Fights. “I believe there would only be one fight.
“And I asked how much Joshua would be getting. Don King used to say to me, ‘I’ve paid a fighter more than he’s ever gotten before’. But is it the right amount?
"The amount of money that was offered by DAZN was a lot of money. But it's not a lot if you find out later that Joshua got double that." — Shelly Finkel explains why Deontay Wilder declined DAZN's offer@CommishRandyG @gerrycooney #boxing #WilderBreazeale pic.twitter.com/BpgX1dc04y
— SiriusXM Boxing (@SiriusXMBoxing) March 23, 2019
“Just because Don gets a huge amount, say from the MGM and gives the other fighter a fraction, doesn’t mean he’s paying him the correct number. And I feel the same way.
“The amount of money that was offered by DAZN was a lot of money. But it’s not a lot if you find out later that Joshua got double that.”
“In any case, the first fight was going to be Breazeale. On May 18th, the fighter we were always going to fight once we lost Fury.
“An instead of it being on DAZN it’s on Showtime. We believe this is a lot better for the fans. Because you’re going to be seen by millions instead of tens or hundreds of thousands of people.”
2019
Talks are scheduled to open up again over the summer, with a view to making Joshua v Wilder one before the end of the year.
As explained by both Wilder and Finkel recently, only a 50-50 offer from DAZN would seal an agreement.
There’s also a question mark over TV rights, with Showtime PPV potentially seeking to share broadcast responsibilities.
Joshua has his own stipulations to deal with as a unified ruler. Although the IBF, WBO and WBA would all be open to accepted an exception should the Briton ask for one to face Wilder.
