"We agreed the deal!" - Eddie Hearn explains the collapse of Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder after seemingly confirming the heavyweight banger
Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder once appeared destined to stand across from one another in the squared circle.
Several months ago Matchroom Boxing chairman, and Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, was brimming with confidence about the likelihood of the heavyweight slugfest taking place.
But a sharp turn of events has seen Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder collapse, and Hearn has now explained why.
During a recent interview with Seconds Out, the Matchroom Boxing chairman stated that the initial offer from Saudi Arabia to host the heavyweight clash had been withdrawn, leading to a fallout of the fight.
He said:
"We agreed the deal! So did Wilder. And because we've done a couple of fights with [Saudi Arabia] before, I felt it was a done deal. But unfortunately it wasn't, so we have to look for an alternative venue. There are discussions still going on with Saudi Arabia. Who's the right person [to do the deal with?] We're getting all these approaches at the moment from Saudi, saying, 'I will introduce you to this person.' We're fine thank you."
Hearn continued:
"We've got other options in the Middle East. The fight can easily take place in Las Vegas. The money won't be exactly the same as Saudi, but it's still a fortune."
Watch the video below (7:05):
Boxing has become infamous for being unable to book fights among its biggest stars.
But with Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk's merry-go-round of negotiations seemingly coming to an end following the announcement of their fight, hopefully, Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder can follow suit.
Eddie Hearn scoffs at the idea of Anthony Joshua vs Joe Joyce
On September 23, Joe Joyce faced off against Zhilei Zhang in an immediate rematch of their clash earlier this year.
Zhang once again walked away victorious, although this time in a far more brutal fashion. Joyce was stopped via TKO in their first fight but was knocked out cold in their second clash.
Following the bout, several members of the boxing community have called for Joe Joyce to retire. But given his English nationality, there have been talks in the past of a potential clash with Anthony Joshua, in what would be an all-British affair.
Eddie Hearn was recently asked about the possibility of 'AJ' versus Joyce, and the Matchroom Boxing chairman could not have made his feelings any clearer. He said:
"No, that would be dangerous! Honestly, mate, [Joyce] shouldn't be boxing. He's had a great career, he should've been Olympic champion, he's won the interim-world heavyweight title, I'm sure he's made a lot of money as well... AJ punches as hard as Zhang, with much more speed."
Watch the video below (8:00):