Deontay Wilder’s fan-friendly win over Derek Chisora puts him back in contention for a payday against one of the heavyweight division’s premium box office sensations.
That’s according to Matchroom boss, Eddie Hearn, who said he attended the April 4 show at the O2 Arena in London as a fan, and enjoyed what he saw in a back-and-forth battle that Wilder prevailed in, seemingly deserving more than a split decision nod.
Victory advanced Wilder’s record to 45 wins (43 KOs) aginst four losses and a draw but, perhaps as significantly, sees him double his wins to two on the spin following back-to-back defeats to Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker.
With those defeats in the rear-view mirror, together with Wilder’s performance in Britain and Joshua’s recent knockout of Jake Paul in the United States, the time is perhaps right for talks between the two camps.
“I thought Wilder boxed well under pressure,” Hearn told The Stomping Ground backstage. “I thought he got his confidence, because obviously his confidence was lacking.”
On the prospect of Wilder vs Hearn’s fighter AJ, who was ringside for the fight, Hearn said he’s “absolutely” interested.
“It’s a big fight.”
Wilder and Joshua even had a mild confrontation after the bout, with them appearing to fist-bump, before Wilder told him, to his face, “let’s do it.”
The fight, if it were to be made, would be one of the biggest DAZN could air considering their shared history, their standing in the heavyweight division over the last 15 years, and, of course, their combined fan-bases in two of the sport’s biggest markets — the United States and in Britain.
While Wilder seemingly books himself options, even if an AJ bout were to fail to bear fruit, much had been made pre-fight about whether the 50th contest was Chisora’s last.
“I said it’s over, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to fight again,” he told reporters. “I might decide to do something else in boxing.”
