Eddie Hearn, promoter for former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, does not believe a fight with Deontay Wilder would be a competitive match.
Both fighters were in action last month in Saudi Arabia, as part of the big ‘Day of Reckoning’ event in Riyadh.
For the most part, the event was put together as a doubleheader launchpad for a March showdown between Joshua and Wilder.
However, that fight fell apart when Wilder was outboxed over twelve rounds by Joseph Parker in the co-feature. Joshua, who appeared in the main event, battered and stopped Otto Wallin.
Wilder, 38-years-old, was coming off a 14-month layoff. Adding to that, the dangerous puncher had entered the ring with a single round of action since 2021.
During the contest, he primarily stayed on the backfoot and never let his hands go. And when Wilder attempted to throw some of his signature punches, his timing was off.
After last month’s unexpected outcome, Hearn believes the long-awaited clash with Wilder is now a dead matter.
“The fight’s dead for now. The people who wanted to put the fight on no longer see that as the fight that it was. The numbers don’t work now because Wilder’s a busted flush at the moment. It’s a mismatch in my opinion,” Hearn told IFL TV.
Joshua is still on track to return on a March date in Saudi Arabia.
The current frontrunner to face him is undefeated contender Filip Hgrovic. According to Hearn, two other names are running – with dangerous Chinese Olympian Zhilei Zhang in the mix. And MMA veteran Francis Ngannou, who nearly derailed Tyson Fury last October, is also being seriously considered.
Credit: Boxing Scene