Eddie Hearn is facing up to the fact that Deontay Wilder could be off the menu for Anthony Josuha until 2021.
As World Boxing News reported last week, Wilder has up to five fights on the cards for the next two years.
First of all, a trilogy with Tyson Fury could be completed with another two bouts. Along with defenses against Luis Ortiz and Adam Kownacki.
Add to that a WBC mandatory fight with Dillian Whyte or whoever is number one. It doesn’t make good reading for Hearn or Joshua.
The Matchroom promoter is obviously disappointed.
“I can’t understand. If you’re Deontay Wilder, why would you not fight Anthony Joshua for double, treble the money you’re making anywhere else. It’s there for him,” Hearn told IFL TV.
“I know that Ortiz has already been promised the Wilder fight. I know that Adam Kownacki has already been promised the Wilder fight.
“So we’re not just talking about 2020. We might be talking about 2021 when Wilder’s available.
“It’s bulls*** for the sport of boxing it really is. It’s annoying because certain people without the brain capacity presume that Joshua doesn’t want to fight Wilder. You couldn’t be more wrong.
“Take control of your own career. He always says in interviews, ‘these promoters don’t let you do this and you’ve got to be in control of your own career’.
‘”f you want the fight, take control of your own career,” he added.
Wilder battles Dominic Breazeale on May 18 in a World Boxing Council stipulated contest. Then it could be Ortiz or Fury II in the fall.
Fury III is expected to take place at the back end of 2020 or early 2021, leaving little room for movement.
DAZN
Joshua must now concentrate on forging his own stateside path with a run of fights catering to American audiences.
‘AJ’ has outgrown the UK market after selling out Wembley and the Principality Stadium. Joshua is also needed by DAZN due for their US market sign-up push.
A stint on mandatory contenders is being lined up the foreseeable future, with Oleksander Usyk and Kubrat Pulev just two names on the list.
Furthermore, the WBA will be adding their number one contender sooner rather than later.
