Hearn: Wilder will get Joshua contract by end of the week 13

With the news that WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has agreed to travel overseas for an undisputed heavyweight title unification with Anthony Joshua, Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn says he’ll see how ‘real’ Wilder is about making the fight.

From Sky Sports:

“It’s great that he’s come back to us. We made this offer about four weeks ago and I don’t know if he’s come back because he’s heard we’re close to closing the Povetkin fight or whether he wants the fight, but either way he’s going to be getting a contract from us ASAP.”

Hearn says there are still a lot of details to iron out but that he’s encouraged that Wilder has agreed in principle to come to the U.K. for the fight. Hearn says a Joshua-Wilder fight is naturally suited for Wembley Stadium, but that it’s now unlikely that it would happen in September if it does come off this year.

The Matchroom promoter says their original plan to stage the fight in mid-September would prove difficult when taking into account U.S. television, considering that Canelo Alvarez is planning a big fight for Mexican Independence Day weekend. He also points the finger at Wilder for taking weeks to agree to fight in the U.K. Because of this Hearn says it could prove to be too big a fight to stage in 11-12 weeks, making October/November more realistic options.

“We’ve got to get to the bottom of it all today. One thing I can tell you is by the end of this week, Deontay Wilder will have a contract in front of him and we’ll see if he’s real.”

If nothing else, though, all these reports are encouraging signs.