By Keith Idec
Unless Deontay Wilder and his handlers are ** an offer, they’ll have to wait until Eddie Hearn and Anthony Joshua determine what’s fair.
That’s Joshua’s take on any upcoming negotiations for a Joshua-Wilder heavyweight title unification fight next year. Wilder wants to fight Joshua next, but Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, and Joshua are considering other options for Joshua’s first fight of 2018.
“If Wilder’s not ** an offer, we’ll do it on my terms,” Joshua told the United Kingdom’s Press Association, according to stories posted to websites for multiple London news**s Wednesday morning. “Present him with an offer, and see how they feel about that offer. That only goes to the champions – Deontay Wilder and Joseph Parker.
“It’s no problem if Wilder wants to fight early next year, but no offers have been made to me. There has never been an offer. Everyone says they want to fight, and then sits back and waits for me to do all the homework.”
Wilder (39-0, 38 KOs), of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, owns the WBC heavyweight title. Parker (24-0, 18 KOs), of Auckland, New Zealand, is the WBO heavyweight champion.
England’s Joshua (20-0, 20 KOs) has more leverage in all negotiations because the unbeaten IBF/IBO/WBA champion has become an unprecedented ticket-seller in the United Kingdom.
Joshua’s last two fights – technical knockout victories over long-reigning champion Wladimir Klitschko and mandatory challenger Carlos Takam – have helped draw a combined 168,000 fans to London’s Wembley Stadium (90,000) and Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales (78,000). Shelly Finkel, Wilder’s manager, has said Las Vegas remains a viable option for Joshua-Wilder because their showdown could generate more money there than anywhere else.
“What we then have to do, which Eddie’s doing, is fly out to the United States to make time,” Joshua said. “No offers have been made from their side or our side. We had a mandatory in place, and now we’re taking the time and effort to get the ball rolling.
“There’s one thing talking and acting, but negotiations don’t happen over social media. We’re now ** the moves forward.”
The 28-year-old Joshua made it clear, however, that he is just as ready to become a fully unified heavyweight champion as Wilder.
“I’m serious about becoming undisputed heavyweight champion of the world,” Joshua said. “We’re just ** sure that a lot of these guys who are ** noise will back up what they’re saying.”
2023-10-19 22:50:48
