Will Anthony Joshua Fight Deontay Wilder?
The world has been waiting for a rematch between Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder; however, despite the best efforts of boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, it looks likely that they may have to wait longer still. Eddie is pushing to set a date for this December however the Wilder camp is not exactly on-board as Bonusbets.com reports.
Despite the public wishing to see the fight, the wilder team have suggested that they will not even negotiate about the date until next year. This is disappointing for Anthony Joshua and has caused Eddie to speculate that they are dodging ever having to schedule the event. Both fighters are busy this year, and in June Joshua will take to the ring as he needs Andy Ruiz Jr. Eddie Hearn feels that once this fight is out of the way, it would be the best time for the two rivals to step into the ring. He has been doing a lot of interviews lately, and when he spoke to Sky Sports, he confirmed that he would like his man to schedule a fight with Wilder.
“Hopefully in November-December. Josh is fighting June 1, and then he’ll go in November-December, and that’s when we want the Wilder fight. It’s the only fight to make next for both guys, but everything we’re hearing out of their camp is not really giving us much encouragement that this is the fight that is going to happen.”
But realistically the bout might not come until 2021 at the earliest, as Wilder has a pretty full card with a fixture on May 19 and then Luis Ortiz and Adam Kownacki after this. The refusal of the other side to acknowledge Hearn’s requests are naturally frustrating him. Speaking to IFL TV, he said “I know that Luis Ortiz has already been promised the Wilder fight, I know that Adam Kownacki has already been promised the Wilder fight. So we’re not just talking about 2020, we might be talking about 2021 when Wilder’s available. It’s bulls*** for the sport of boxing it really is, and it’s annoying because certain people without the brain capacity presume that Joshua doesn’t want to fight Wilder – you couldn’t be more wrong.”
Joshua also wants to get in the ring with Luis Ortiz and sooner rather than later. He had been scheduled to fight Jarrell Miller, but thanks to 3 failed a drugs tests he is now not able to get a license and will not be fighting for the foreseeable future. It is frustrating but understandable that the New York State Athletic Commission refused his request. However, Eddie Hearn feels that other promoters are dodging his man by refusing to schedule fights even when it is an excellent opportunity for their men. He feels the sponsors are dictating who can fight and the boxers need to stand up for themselves “They’re being told what to do. They should be the one saying, ‘I’m taking it. $7 million, my life is complete. My kid’s life is complete. Their kids’ life is complete. I believe I can beat AJ. Either they don’t believe they can beat AJ or someone is telling them not to take the fight.”
