Boxing: Eddie Hearn in New York for Joshua v Wilder Fight Talks

Eddie Hearn is set to jet to New York for talks with Deontay Wilder as a long-awaited clash with Anthony Joshua moves ever closer.

The Matchroom boss will meet with Al Haymon and Shelly Finkel, the two main advisors to WBC heavyweight title holder Wilder, today to discuss the possibility of a summer unification blockbuster with WBA, IBO and WBO champ Joshua.

It has been suggested that Hearn made Wilder and his team an £8.8m offer to fight Joshua at Wembley this September but has received no counter-offer and now wants to meet face-to-face in an attempt to get the deal moving.

“We will sit down and have some scrambled eggs and smoked salmon,” Hearn said. “I don’t think they like me and I think they will be quite aggressive but I’ll just tell them how it is.

“A meeting like this is what we need. We have our thoughts on how the deal should work. We haven’t had any offers from them but I’ve asked for a meeting and they’ve accepted that.

“This fight shouldn’t be difficult to make and if everyone puts egos aside we can make the biggest fight in world boxing.”

Joshua has been ordered by the WBA to fight mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin before any meeting with American Wilder but the Brit has been quite clear about who he would prefer to face.

“Anthony’s made it clear – that’s the fight he wants next, the Deontay Wilder fight,” Hearn said last week. “With these mandatories coming up as well, Povetkin, and the possible IBF mandatory, I’ve said before there’s not many opportunities to make an undisputed fight. Really the focus is for us to make the Deontay Wilder fight next.

“If not, it has to be the one after, and we’ll have to deal with a mandatory in the meantime. It could be Alexander Povetkin.

“Generally from AJ’s side, from our side, from the team’s side, the Wilder fight is one we have no problems with at all. We’ve just got to find the right deal.”

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