Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has confirmed Deontay Wilder’s claim he offered $ 50 million to fight Nigerian-British boxer Anthony Joshua but insists the showdown failed to happen after Wilder’s camp failed to send contract details.
Former heavyweight champion Wilder is due to fight on the same December 23 card in Saudi Arabia as Joshua but not against one another as had been hoped.
Joshua will fight Otto Wallin, and Wilder will take on Joseph Parker.
Wilder told the Daily Mail Sport podcast recently that Joshua had turned down the offer and pointed the finger at the Briton’s Matchroom promoters.
“It’s his management that has held him back from fighting me because, you know, he’s a fighter. It’s been over six years waiting for the fight to be made. But there comes a point when you’re like, “Forget it,” Wilder said.
“Many times he wanted to fight, he wanted to accept it, but his handlers didn’t want it because Joshua is the money-maker for the company. And if he goes down, so does the business.”
Responding to Wilder’s comments to Daily Mail Sport, Hearn confirmed Wilder’s team had directly sent an offer to Joshua.
The promoter insisted that a contract be sent for an agreement to be finalised, but Wilder’s camp failed to do so.
“To be honest with you, that was about three, four years ago. No one came to us with an offer. We received an email,” Hearn said.
“We received an email from a Hotmail address saying we will give you 50 million dollars for the fight. It was sent to Anthony Joshua. Directly. He was like, “What?”.
“So, I went back and said send the contract. They said no, you need to agree to terms before we send the contract. I said you don’t agree to the terms before sending the contract.
“I didn’t know what the contract looks like at this point. I’m not going to put myself in a position and say yes, I agree to the terms and then receive a contract that is just rubbish and you can’t sign it. But, they never sent it.
“There are many reasons why that fight didn’t happen but we have to look to the future.
“We have a big chance of getting the fight. But, it’s all irrelevant if they don’t win on December 23.’
Joshua and Wilder may likely fight in Riyadh in 2024 because they both win their respective fights on December 23.
