After the recent turn of events, heavyweight champions Deontay Wilder (40-0, 30 KOs) and Anthony Joshua (21-0, 20 KOs) could very well collide in a high profile unification showdown.
The two camps have agreed to terms on a fight in the United Kingdom sometime this fall for less money than Wilder’s initial offer, his co-manager and trainer Jay Deas said Monday night.
"They offered and we accepted," Deas said, adding that they would push for a signed contract as early as Tuesday.
Deas said the fight could be anywhere from September to November to avoid conflict with a potential Canelo Alvarez-Gennady Golovkin rematch in September.
Deas said he’s not authorized to discuss details of the potential purse and that the venue and date are up to Joshua’s camp.
"We offered $50 million, which is what he said he wanted," Deas said to the AP. "And he then turned it down. Then they came back with a much, much, much smaller offer for Deontay, which would have been even less than Deontay would have made in the United States, and wanted him to still travel to the U.K. for the fight. And we said yes.
"The reason we did was because Deontay is investing in himself. He wants this for the fans and he wants this for his legacy and he knows that being the undisputed heavyweight champ of the world will give him the financial gain as he proceeds. Even though we would have liked a better deal, Deontay said yes."
Wilder posted on his Twitter account Monday that the $50 million offer to fight in America is still on the table.
"Today I even agreed to their offer to fight Joshua next in the UK," he said in the tweet. "If he prefers the fight in the UK, the ball is in their court. It’s up to them to choose."
Now, the two biggest heavyweight names could be poised to meet next.
"If they keep their word, then we’ve got a fight," Deas said. "So we’re fully expecting to go to the U.K. and we’re ready. We’re ready to do it tomorrow. All they have to do is tell us where to be and when to be there, and we’ll be there."
2023-10-21 06:05:05
