Eddie Hearn: Deontay Wilder doesn’t want to fight Anthony Joshua

Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn is now saying that he doesn’t believe Deontay Wilder actually wants to fight Anthony Joshua, further stirring the pot in this ongoing media saga, as fight fans simply wait to find out whether one of boxing’s biggest possible fights will actually happen or not.

From Sky Sports:

“I can’t quite make out whether people are lying to Deontay about the negotiations or he is just completely deluded. … He has now had the contract a week. We are getting calls from the WBA on a daily basis asking what’s happening, there is absolutely zero urgency from Deontay and his team other than posting silly Instagram videos. The proof is in the resumes and at this stage I believe Deontay and his team do not want this fight.”

If Wilder (40-0, 39 KO) doesn’t sign to face Joshua (21-0, 20 KO), then Joshua will simply make a mandatory WBA defense against Alexander Povetkin (34-1, 24 KO). That’s not a bad fight — I feel like I have to keep stating that — but it would be a big disappointment for a lot of people, who want to see Joshua-Wilder happen now instead of waiting for it to “marinate” any further.

On the other side, it’s unknown what Wilder would do, but there’s been some talk of him potentially facing Dominic Breazeale (19-1, 17 KO), a fellow American whose only pro loss was a TKO-7 at the hands of Joshua in 2016. Breazeale is the WBC’s No. 2 ranked contender, behind Dillian Whyte, who will face Joseph Parker on July 28.