Deontay Wilder will force Eddie Hearn to eat his own words if he and Anthony Joshua finally agree terms on a heavyweight clash.
Hearn famously stated Wilder didn’t want to face AJ in an expletive-ridden rant to his regular YouTube platform when discussing the fight previously.
At the time, Hearn labeled Wilder ‘an idiot’ for wanting a 60-40 pot split. Hearn also branded anyone who thinks Wilder wants to fight ‘an idiot’ into the bargain.
That’s despite Wilder publicly accepting a ‘lowball’ $15m deal with Hearn, provided it included a rematch clause.
Wilder played hardball because he beat Tyson Fury before they fought their rematch. But Hearn didn’t think ‘The Bronze Bomber’ is worth 40% even if he does.
That’s also having paid Joseph Parker 35% based on the New Zealander defeating Hughie Fury. However, he didn’t believe Wilder would be worth 40% if he defeated Fury’s cousin.
Deontay Wilder rant
“I’m sick and tired of idiots out there who think he wants the fight. How stupid do you have to be to think Deontay Wilder wants this fight [against Joshua]?” Hearn told IFL TV.
“Boring, boring, boring. Mate, f*** off, mate. [Deontay Wilder], you haven’t earned three million bucks. F**** sake. You can walk up to any city, high street, or town in the world and ask anyone who Deontay Wilder is – no one’s got a f****** clue.
“He ain’t even going to do 300k pay per views on Showtime [vs. Fury – first fight], and you want 60/40? Idiot.
“I’ve got no time for time wasters. Give me someone that wants to fight Joshua, not talk about it to try and raise their profile. I’m sick and tired of those idiots out there who think he wants the fight.
“Don’t waste our time. Don’t use Joshua’s name to gain a profile and publicity. If that’s what he really thinks, please don’t f****** waste my time. I’m really f****** busy,” he added.
Wilder can ram those words down Hearn’s throat with a simple signature on a contract for a battle in Saudi Arabia next year.
However, the whole event seems to stem from Fury facing Oleksandr Usyk on the same bill. World Boxing News understands that if the double bill doesn’t get agreed, they may not want to stage Wilder vs. Joshua on its own.
At present, Wilder vs. Joshua isn’t a big enough fight. Wilder has been out for a year, while Joshua is out of form. There’s also no world title on the line into the bargain.
There is a long way to go before Hearn eats anything.
