Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder’s teams have a “responsibility” to deliver an undisputed world title fight this year, says promoter Eddie Hearn.
WBC champion Wilder reiterated his desire to take a blockbuster battle with Joshua following his next title defence with Dominic Breazeale at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on May 18.
Hearn had hoped to tie up a hugely lucrative deal for the fight before Joshua’s own world title clash with Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller in New York on June 1, and again questioned whether Wilder’s backers can finally agree on terms.
“I don’t even know if it’s Deontay Wilder, or just the people around him; they don’t want this fight,” Hearn told Sky Sports.
“If they did, they’d take the fight. Offers have been made over the last year. They have trebled actually, and I don’t know, it’s frustrating.
“All I know is Anthony Joshua will box Jarrell Miller June 1, MSG, Wilder is boxing May 18 against Dominic Breazeale, actually the guy who in his 17th fight with glandular fever, Anthony Joshua destroyed.
“Then Tyson Fury will box June 15 in America. Those big three are all tied up for the summer. We’ve just got to keep trying. There’s nothing more we can do, than just keep trying.
“It’s extremely frustrating, but like I said, it looks clear now what those big three are doing this summer, and it’s our responsibility, and I hope they understand their responsibility to give the fight fans what they want, which is the biggest fight in world boxing, hopefully at the end of the year.
“But after what we saw last week, who knows?”
A shock defeat for either Joshua or Wilder would end hopes of a showdown between the unbeaten champions, and Hearn admits his fighter must remain fully focused on Miller.
“Make it now,” he said. “If Breazeale were to beat Wilder, if Miller was to beat AJ, we lose the biggest fight in world boxing, so hopefully everybody can keep winning.
“The heavyweight division and the sport of boxing continues to grow, and we can only hope that fight gets bigger, and eventually team Wilder have nowhere to go, but to accept that huge offer.
“Money that he wouldn’t dream of making, that was presented to him last week.
