"We won't wait forever" - Deontay Wilder vs. Anthony Joshua could be in jeopardy as Eddie Hearn shares worrying update on Saudi Arabia talks
Eddie Hearn, the chairman of Matchroom Boxing, has shared a rather unsettling update on the negotiations for a fight between Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua.
'AJ' recently defeated Robert Helenius via knockout, and following his win, all signs pointed to a fight with Wilder later this year. Saudi Arabia emerged as the likely location for the heavyweight super-fight, and negotiations appeared to be underway.
Last month Eddie Hearn appeared immensely confident that the fight would take place, crediting Saudi Arabia as the main reason why talks seemed to be progressing so well.
But following the announcement of Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou, set to take place in Saudi Arabia, it appears that Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua's potential clash is in jeopardy.
Eddie Hearn was recently interviewed by iFL TV, where he shared the following update:
"According to Shane Fury, Saudia [Arabia] aren't doing the Wilder-Joshua fight. from our point of view we've agreed terms, we've agreed the money, we've agreed the date, we've done everything. As you can see, politically there's a shift in boxing in Saudi Arabia, and we just await news, really. We won't wait forever, if Saudi [Arabia] don't want to do that fight, we can look at other site fees for that. But we had an agreement, long conversations to do it there, and we'd love to..."
Watch the video below from 4:45:
Eddie Hearn blasts Tyson Fury for taking fights he knows he can't lose ahead of Francis Ngannou matchup\
Eddie Hearn has not held back on Tyson Fury's decision to accept a cross-over boxing clash with Francis Ngannou instead of facing some of the heavyweight division's best, such as Oleksandr Usyk.
The chairman of Matchroom Boxing rubbished Fury's claim that he was chasing "the big money" fights, as Hearn stated that 'The Gypsy King' would earn just as much for a bout against Anthony Joshua or Usyk, as he would against Ngannou.
Eddie Hearn claimed that Tyson Fury has "turned his back on boxing" during a recent interview with Seconds Out, where he said this:
[Fury] is the best heavyweight in the world at the moment, I think, and he could beat Oleksandr Usyk. He could fight Anthony Joshua, and if he beats him, he would go down as the greatest heavyweight of our generation... By the way, the money is enormous. So this is where is doesn't really make sense, 'cause [Fury] says he only wants the big money now, but the big money is in AJ. And the big money is in Usyk. What [Fury] is actually saying is, 'I can actually have fights I can't lose, for a lot of money.'"
Watch the video below from 6:20: