Hearn Denies AJ Was Ducking Wilder – ‘I Want Him To Fight Deontay Wilder’

Eddie Hearn has hit back at Deontay Wilder’s suggestions that Anthony Joshua’s camp was not interested in making the fight.
Wilder’s camp was in talks with Joshua in 2018 when both boxers had titles. Wilder held the WBC belt, and Joshua had the WBO, IBF, and WBA belts. A fight for undisputed was close to being made. The Bronze Bomber made a $50 million offer on the condition Joshua accepted it before a contract was sent. Those terms were unfavourable, the contract was never presented, and the fight broke down.
Since then, Wilder has blamed Joshua’s teams for the obstacles. He referenced how Joshua was their cash cow, so it was not in their interest for him to fight and then lose. Hearn shut down those claims by clarifying that they would fight provided both men came through their next fights.
Joshua faces a tricky southpaw in the form of Otto Wallin, while Wilder takes on Joseph Parker. Reports indicate Joshua and Wilder have agreed to fight on March 9 2024. A win for both men leaves nowhere else to go, as Hearn was confident that Joshua would win.
Hearn On Wilder
“I want him to fight Deontay Wilder because I believe he beats him. And I believe that’s financially the right fight for AJ, financially the right fight for me, so these guys really don’t know what they’re talking about. (Wilder) better be switched on because he’ll lose to Joseph Parker on December 23rd. He can punch like a mule but Joseph is up for this fight and I know he’s had his defeats and stuff like that, but coming out from a year, it ain’t going to be easy,” Hearn said
Given Wilder’s mindset coming into the fight, Joshua will have to be on the top of his game. Following his two losses to Tyson Fury, boxing fans could have been forgiven for seeing a decline in Wilder. And yet, the American returned with a bang to stop Robert Helenius in the first round. A large part of that has been the work of his trainer, Malik Scott.
Wilder’s Mindset
The pair forged a good relationship and even fought each other as Scott tasted Wilder’s power. Outside of that, Wilder has been making other changes. He recalled how he implemented ayahuasca in his life, which had profound changes to his mentality. The journey justified his belief that he was one of the best as he predicted a KO of Joseph Parker.
“I found happiness while doing ayahuasca. It’s a beautiful thing. A lot of people are a little nervous of what they’re going to see, but you’ll leave with everything you need…All the stuff those people said to me confirmed what I already knew: that I’m a true leader of men. I’m looking to go back there every year. I envision knocking Parker out. I’m the ‘Bronze Bomber’. Men and women lie, but numbers don’t,” Wilder stated
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