Anthony Joshua will reject a money-spinning $50m offer to fight Deontay Wilder in the USA, due to favouring home advantage in the U.K., says promoter Eddie Hearn.
In an interview with Telegraph Sport, the Matchroom supremo revealed that WBA/WBO/IBF World champion Joshua would even be willing to take a pay cut in order to secure the fight on home territory.
“AJ will have to take a pay cut to fight in the UK and I don’t think he’s that bothered.” said Hearn.
“At the moment we’re all still talking and communication continues. But there is a feeling from our camp this undisputed fight should be in the U.K.”
Hearn also referenced Joshua’s trainer and manager Rob McCracken – who has guided ‘AJ’ since his amateur days – as someone who pointed to the advantages of hosting the fight as opposed to travelling.
After selling over 200,000 tickets in three stadium fights in a little over twelve months, Joshua revealed in an interview with Polly James this week that he felt that he “owed it to the U.K. fans” to bring the Wilder bout to Britain.
"I'm going to f*** him up bad!" ?
Unified World heavyweight champion @anthonyfjoshua shreds @BronzeBomber and promises to deliver a brutal beating when the fight eventually takes place… ?
[Video: @PollyJames]#Boxing #JoshuaWilder pic.twitter.com/NkmiY8KBs2
— Boxing Social (@boxing_social) May 22, 2018
Bringing the undisputed showdown to the U.K. is a notion that Hearn unsurprisingly agrees with – though, apparently, it is not necessarily a view shared by Wilder and his team.
“AJ genuinely loves fighting in the UK. He knows there has never been an undisputed fight before, he was the first unification fight in Britain in the heavyweight division.” said Hearn.
“So to do an undisputed heavyweight unification fight in the UK, would be historic. But whether Wilder’s team feel the same, like I said, those talks are ongoing.”
You see people talk the “G??D” talk but are not prepared to walk thru the valley of the shadow of Death. To come and get it. He said he once went to hell and back and he enjoyed it.
Ni, Either the devil wasn’t there or
“HE LYIN.” pic.twitter.com/Z4muvrEd1u— Deontay Wilder (@BronzeBomber) May 21, 2018
With talks between Joshua and Wilder apparently at a standstill, plans are seemingly afoot for Joshua to make his US debut at some stage in 2018, with unbeaten New Yorker Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller calling Joshua out across social media recently.
Miller – a brash, trash-talking, 300lbs heavyweight – also has the added beneficiary of sharing a promoter with Joshua, having linked up with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom USA earlier in the year. It would appear to be a logical bout to make for Joshua, with Miller offering much in the way of promotion as well as a crowd-pleasing fighting-style.
Boxing IS ALOT OF B.s — NO ANTHONY g string Joshua WERE , WHO and WHEN DO I fight NEXT. THIS SPORT IS THE KING OF BROKEN Promises NOTHING New like I BEEN saying if it’s not on pen and paper Don’t mean S$&t @boxing_sweet_science2.0 @boxingempire @boxinghype @elieseckbach pic.twitter.com/57b0slRYXG
— BIGBABYMILLER (@BIGBABYMILLER) May 22, 2018
Time will tell what the latest round of negotiations will throw up, with any potential match-up involving Joshua now seemingly guaranteed to be a very public, drawn-out affair.
