In a recent interview with Boxing News, the face of Matchroom Boxing, Eddie Hearn has revealed that Deontay Wilder turned down an offer of $3m to make a voluntary defence of his WBC Heavyweight Championship belt, an offer which did not include any potential money from US TV.
Instead, Deontay Wilder had agreed to make a defence of his title against the feared undefeated Cuban Luis ‘King Kong’ Ortiz. A fight that fell through after it was confirmed Luis Ortiz had tested positive for a banned substance. Wilder will now instead defend against mandatory challenger Bermane Stiverne, the only man to ever last the full distance against Wilder in a highly anticipated rematch.