Eddie Hearn said the fight between WBA, WBO, IBO, IBF world heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua and WBC champion, Deontay Wilder, must happen now, since earlier than later, the sanctioning agencies will order Joshua to perform mandatory defends.
Hearn tried to make a deal Joshua vs. Wilder, a few months ago, when the WBA then ordered the British boxer, Joshua, to face the Russian Alexander Povetkin in a mandatory defend. And Povetkin was eventually knocked out by Joshua in the seventh round, in September, at Wembley Stadium in London.
“I am ready to make a deal but I can’t say that it’s close, because it isn’t. It all depends on if Wilder wants to be the undisputed champion. If he does, then we’ll get the fight made. If he’s not bothered, then he’ll swerve it.” Hearn said.
“It is the only fight that we want. If we can’t get that fight, we’ll look at others. Does that mean moving to State? Not Necessarily.” Hearn added.
Joshua (22-0-0, 21 KOs) has an April 13 date to fill at Wembley Stadium for the next defends of his titles after defeating Alexander Povetkin.
However, Wilder (40-0-1, 39 KOs) considers the option of playing a rematch with undefeated heavyweight linear champion Tyson Fury (27-0-1, 19 KOs). The two boxers already delivered together a historic fight that resulted in a controversial shared draw on December 1 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Deontay Wilder fought to a draw against former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. (Source:www.express.co.uk)
If Wilder opts to play a rematch with Fury, then Hearn fears that Joshua is forced to perform mandatory defends. Of course, a unification of the titles could prevent the holding of a mandatory defense in the event that the two parties enter into an agreement.
“Another reason why the undisputed title fight must happen now is because, sooner or later, we’ll have different mandatory challengers.” Hearn said.
“And they might be fights that no one has an interest in. Wladimir Klitschko did that for years except he took the fights that no one had an interest in.
“Keep defending, keep defending – but you build a poor resume and AJ isn’t interested in that. He wants the big fights.” Hearn added.
