Is Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder happening? Eddie Hearn provides disappointing update
Eddie Hearn has revealed that Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder is officially off for December.
'AJ' scored a knockout win over Robert Helenius in his return to the ring last month in the U.K. The victory was his second in a row, previously defeating Jermaine Franklin in April. Prior to his latest bout, Eddie Hearn stated that Joshua just had to win, in order to make a fight with 'The Bronze Bomber' a reality.
However, that's not exactly the case. In a recent interview with Boxing Social, the head of Matchroom Boxing gave an update on the heavyweight clash. Unfortunately for fans, Hearn didn't exactly have any great news.
That news is that talks between the boxers and Saudi Arabia were going very slowly. Furthermore, the fight is no longer being eyed for December, but instead for January. In the interview, Hearn added that if the fight with Deontay Wilder isn't made shortly, Anthony Joshua might box in December.
In the interview, Eddie Hearn stated:
"The holdup is that it's a lot of money, and it has to go through a process of approval... If we're going to go for the backend for December, we need to make sure that we announce that fight towards the end of September. So, we've probably got three weeks to decide who we want 'AJ' to fight in December, or are we going to get this Wilder fight made?"
Derek Chisora calls for fight with Anthony Joshua
The good news for Anthony Joshua is that he's already received another high-profile callout.
In the event that he can't fight Deontay Wilder in December or January, he could fight Derek Chisora. 'Del Boy' has been a heavyweight contender for well over a decade, and faced most big names in the division.
In fact, he returned to the ring on the undercard of Joshua's win over Robert Helenius last month. There, Chisora scored a decision win over former title challenger Gerald Washington. In the process, he snapped a three-fight losing streak.
Speaking to IFL TV, Derek Chisora opined that Anthony Joshua is the biggest draw in the division. That's the reason Wilder, Tyson Fury, and even himself want to fight him. He stated:
"AJ is in the driving seat. What AJ has to do is sit down on the sofa, wait for the phone call. Fury wants to fight him. Wilder wants to fight him. Everyone wants to fight him cause he’s a big attraction. Me? I’d fight him every day, bro. I call him up every day, you wanna fight? But who knows, we never know.”