Skip to content
Home » Eddie Hearn says ‘at the moment it’s Joshua vs Povetkin’, not Wilder

Eddie Hearn says ‘at the moment it’s Joshua vs Povetkin’, not Wilder

  • by
  • 2 min read

As WBN reported over the weekend, Joshua had turned his back on a fight with Deontay Wilder in the United States and was not prepared to offer the American a huge deal to secure an undisputed clash in the UK.

Wilder basically has a ‘take it or leave it’ deal on the table to challenge for Joshua’s four world title belts in 2018, although Hearn has revealed the fight could still be agreed for a later date – after mandatory duties are fulfilled with Povetkin.

“I think they are slowly realizing that without Anthony Joshua, the future is not very bright for Deontay Wilder,” Hearn told Sky Sports.

“He wants the fight, we want the fight but time is running out as we need to let the WBA know and Alexander Povetkin know if we are fighting them in September. At the moment, it looks like we are.

“I think this fight with Wilder could get agreed in the next couple of weeks. I think it will get agreed in the next couple of weeks and probably signed.

“It’s just a case of whether we do it in October/November, September or February/March of next year. Either way, I think it will get agreed and it’s just a timescale thing now,” he added.

With just three months to go, Joshua v Povetkin is expected to be made official soon, with Wilder talks continuing for a clash in early 2019.

Wembley Stadium would be off the menu for the spring, leaving Cardiff’s Principality Stadium a firm favorite to stage Joshua v Wilder – if indeed it happens in Britain.

A massive offer for Joshua to travel to Las Vegas may not be open to the 2012 Olympic champion for too much longer, although there is a possibility Wilder would agree to a US rematch clause to initially take the fight in England.

This would mean Joshua v Wilder in the spring of 2019 before a massive United States return in the boxing capital of the world in the late summer of next year.

All in all, Povetkin remains the solid favorite to be in the opposite corner once Joshua laces up his gloves again – which was outlined by WBN late last week.