Hearn Questions Wilder’s Resume, Hearn Targeting 50-50 For Fury Vs. AJ
Eddie Hearn has questioned Deontay Wilder’s resume ahead of a potential fight with Anthony Joshua.
Wilder is arguably one of the hardest punchers of all time. His boxing record is proof of that. 43 of his wins have been by way of knockout.
Although that may be the case, Wilder’s biggest win has been against Luis Ortiz, who was at the latter end of his career when he faced Wilder.
Not only that, but the ‘Bronze Bomber’ failed to stop Tyson Fury, despite dropping him numerous times. As such, Hearn has questioned whether Wilder is the real deal.
Hearn On Wilder
“I cannot believe how highly people rate Deontay Wilder. He’s never beaten a top-five heavyweight. Luis Ortiz is his best win – he was getting smashed in the first fight, he was 7-0 down in the second fight. He’s never beaten an elite heavyweight,” Hearn stated
Nevertheless, those comments could backfire on Hearn. If Wilder were to stop Joshua, then the Brit’s chances of being a marquee name once again would diminish.
And yet, for all of his comments, Hearn did recognize that Wilder has the ability to stop anyone. His following comments confirmed as much.
“I think that he can beat Deontay Wilder comfortably, but he could also get beat by Deontay Wilder. I don’t think necessarily, I mean, the good thing is he got,” Hearn
Helenius On AJ
But that is not the only thing that has to be considered. It is also worth bearing in mind Joshua’s last performance.
Despite facing Robert Helenius on a one-week notice, the Brit did struggle to deal with him before the stoppage.
Joshua was being out-jabbed before he managed to catch his opponent in the seventh round with a huge right hand to end the fight.
However, in the aftermath of that bout, Helenius has not had many positive remarks to say about Joshua.
“I hit him well with left straights, and I noticed that he was a bit embarrassed by it. Should have just let the right one go. I hurt him many times and felt like I had the match in hand at one point.
“I still feel that if I had been given 12 weeks for that match, the end result would not have been like that. It would have been the other way around.
“I didn’t have the condition for 12 sets here. The better one won this time, that’s all … Even though I lost today, this left me with a good feeling. I will not comment on whether the career will continue,” Helenius said
In comparison, Wilder dealt with Helenius in a single round with a punch that was not thrown with any venom. And if that happens with AJ, then it could be curtains too.
Hearn On Fury Vs. AJ Split
Meanwhile, Eddie Hearn has called for Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury to have a 50-50 split provided that ‘AJ’ beats Deontay Wilder.
The two previous attempts at getting the fight made between Fury and Joshua have failed. The WBC heavyweight champion offered ‘AJ’ a 60-40 split on two occasions.
While that offer was satisfactory at the time, in terms of numbers, a combination of unrealistic deadlines and other opponents meant that the fight did not get made.
Although Joshua is the bigger draw commercially, his bargaining power has been hampered somewhat.
The failure to have a belt, coupled with his recent back-to-back losses with Oleksandr Usyk, showed that Joshua still had some way to go in the ring. However, a win over Wilder, would boost his commercial power once again.
“If he beats Wilder, I think the fight becomes 50/50 [with Fury], but Fury as champion, 60/40 at the moment is fair. But, don’t forget when AJ was champion and Fury wasn’t he said he would only take the fight at 50/50. But, we’re prepared to take 60/40, which has kind of been agreed ultimately,” Hearn said
Nevertheless, negotiations with the Fury camp have not always been easy. After all, Usyk had agreed to a 70-30 split against him despite being the current unified champion with three belts.
And yet, that fight did not get over the line. So the question of who is the A-side may come up once again.
Ultimately, the biggest fight in boxing to be made right now is Joshua vs. Wilder. And with both fighters having the ability to end the fight with a single punch, it is exactly what the heavyweight division has been crying out for.
So the question remaining is can the fight get made. Time will tell.
