Anthony Joshua (WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO) vs. Deontay Wilder (WBC)

[samwbr]

Sounds like it's all off again, I don't think either side really wants the fight yet. Be Wilder v Breazeale and Joshua v Miller or Povetkin next won't it.

[freddydoesdallas]

I'm hoping it does before SPOTY. I've got a few quid riding on Joshua winning it this year. Looks good as long as England go and do the usual this summer

[Ruthless-RKO]

Sounds like it's all off again, I don't think either side really wants the fight yet. Be Wilder v Breazeale and Joshua v Miller or Povetkin next won't it.

Joshus could kill off 2 mandatories by fighting Povetkin. Miller should at least win the Regular belt before fighting AJ IMO..

[Nightmare Roy]

Sounds like it's all off again, I don't think either side really wants the fight yet. Be Wilder v Breazeale and Joshua v Miller or Povetkin next won't it.

Yup I'm starting to think neither side want it, Hearn with his flat fee BS and constant insults towards Wilder and his Management, whilst Wilder's offer has the credibility of emails we get in our junk boxes each day from Ugandan Princes. This fight isn't happening for at least a year, trouble is, it all goes up in smoke if one of them gets starched.

[dirk2686]

based on what? then why dont americans generally care about there 6'7 olympic pedigree , brash talking ko machine hw champ? why do they care even less about the guy hed be fighting?

neither has even done a us ppv, they arent going to be a huge fight among the us crowd. when was the last time a guy went from a career high of 2m and never being on ppv, to a few months later being the american a-side of a 100m fight, vs someone whod never even fought in the us?

please tell

Who would have said that mayweather v a cage fighter would generate millions in ppv streams.

Everyone who knew even a tiny bit about how these things work. Big seller v big seller = big sales.

Your points about how they'd sell the fight are plainly obvious: two in shape undefeated knock out machines for the heavyweight championship of the world. That doesn't mean people will buy it to the tune of it generating the money needed.

[dirk2686]

In the ring after the Parker fight, Joshua said live on TV that he wouldn't travel to the States to fight Wilder. IMO him and Hearn will be giving their reasons not to.

Joshua's reasons were financial. Wilder draws about 13k audience and gets paid a pittance in the States. Joshua earns over ten times as much and knows he's got a 90k venue he can fill.

Now we have this mystery 50m deal which obviously changes things.

[Like a Boss]

This whole thing has been one big posturing exercise so far, and I include Hearn's earlier offer to Wilder in that.

Impossible to tell who really wants the fight and who doesn't. Perhaps they both don't?

[KiwiRider]

[ALI]

Haymon has proven he can string a big fight out until it becomes blockbuster status, Mayweather v Pacman the perfect example. Its probably the same masterplan here, keep teasing the fight and the fans with fake negotiations, build it build it and build it some more, all the while keeping both fighters profiles peaked in the press at all times helping to maximise their earnings for other 'in the meantime' fights while we we all wait for the big one to happen.

Smart for business, but not good for us fans.

[dirk2686]

Haymon has proven he can string a big fight out until it becomes blockbuster status, Mayweather v Pacman the perfect example. Its probably the same masterplan here, keep teasing the fight and the fans with fake negotiations, build it build it and build it some more, all the while keeping both fighters profiles peaked in the press at all times helping to maximise their earnings for other 'in the meantime' fights while we we all wait for the big one to happen.

Smart for business, but not good for us fans.

I think Wilder has just looked too beatable for this plan to work long term. Joshua would still be a big name had Wlad stopped him; he'd have probably come back against a Molina type, maybe even then rematches Wlad or fought someone like Haye. But beyond that he's never been in trouble.

Wilder was seconds away from losing last time out and has often looked pretty shaky. There's only so long it can be dragged out for before he loses and the big fight is Joshua v someone else. Who knows - Wilder may end up being secondary to Joshua Fury anyway.

[dirk2686]

This whole thing has been one big posturing exercise so far, and I include Hearn's earlier offer to Wilder in that.

Impossible to tell who really wants the fight and who doesn't. Perhaps they both don't?

I don't see why Hearn or Joshua wouldn't want it. Look at his career so far - moved along very quickly, chucked in with Wlad when he'd had less than twenty fights. Then immediately matched with back to back decent opposition (Pulev and Parker.) He's definitely seemed the sort to go after bigger names and go after them quickly.

Not hard to make some pretty telling comparisons. In his nineteenth fight Joshua was fighting Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley. Wilder was fighting Daniel Cota in an eight rounder in Mexico on an Angulo undercard.

[nitro5912]

What I found interesting is that Eddie said his meeting with Shelley finkel.that was due before the deadline suddenly got cancelled and they went quiet.

[BigDoofus]

In the ring after the Parker fight, Joshua said live on TV that he wouldn't travel to the States to fight Wilder. IMO him and Hearn will be giving their reasons not to.

Joshua's reasons were financial. Wilder draws about 13k audience and gets paid a pittance in the States. Joshua earns over ten times as much and knows he's got a 90k venue he can fill.

Now we have this mystery 50m deal which obviously changes things.

I doubt they will. As i said, I'm expecting him and Hearn to come out with reasons not to fight.

[mickey1975]

How many people were at Floyd v Conor? Wembley means nothing compared to a big Vegas fight night. If Dirk tells any of us AJ sells tickets one more time I’m going to crack up. It’s every five minutes, man. WE KNOW!

[freddydoesdallas]

How many people were at Floyd v Conor? Wembley means nothing compared to a big Vegas fight night. If Dirk tells any of us AJ sells tickets one more time I’m going to crack up. It’s every five minutes, man. WE KNOW!

Exactly. The richest fights don't happen in the biggest stadiums. If they did, hard On would be been fighting Floyd & Manny at Wembley but they took place in arenas that held around 20,000. It's not like there are no huge stadiums in the USA

[dirk2686]

How many people were at Floyd v Conor? Wembley means nothing compared to a big Vegas fight night. If Dirk tells any of us AJ sells tickets one more time I’m going to crack up. It’s every five minutes, man. WE KNOW!

It's a point regarding popularity. If you want it exclusively in viewing figures and PPV sales then compare those between Wilder and Joshua, it's not hard.

[dirk2686]

How many people were at Floyd v Conor? Wembley means nothing compared to a big Vegas fight night. If Dirk tells any of us AJ sells tickets one more time I’m going to crack up. It’s every five minutes, man. WE KNOW!

Exactly. The richest fights don't happen in the biggest stadiums. If they did, hard On would be been fighting Floyd & Manny at Wembley but they took place in arenas that held around 20,000. It's not like there are no huge stadiums in the USA

The richest fights take place between guys who sell lots of ppvs. Joshua is unknown in the US and Wilder is largely irrelevant.

[mickey1975]

How has a little Filipino and a gobshite Irish guy got so popular over there? AJ just doesn’t have the personality or ability to crossover. Ricky Hatton did it. AJ is hugely overrated in this country, all because Fury couldn’t be bothered to beat him up.

[Boxerbeetle]

How has a little Filipino and a gobshite Irish guy got so popular over there? AJ just doesn’t have the personality or ability to crossover. Ricky Hatton did it. AJ is hugely overrated in this country, all because Fury couldn’t be bothered to beat him up.

AJ doesn’t need personality, he’s too humble to crossover

[SAPFO]

I honestly think that if Floyd was promoting this it’d do big numbers both sides.

[Ruthless-RKO]

I honestly think that if Floyd was promoting this it’d do big numbers both sides.

He'd do a better job of promoting it than DiBella..

Controversial figures attract more viewers

[mickey1975]

I honestly think that if Floyd was promoting this it’d do big numbers both sides.

It wouldn’t. Camp Eddie has been brilliant selling AJ over here, he can’t do it over there. Fwank had Michael Jackson, Adidas, MSG, “here on business” for a 9 st Yorkshire Yemeni, #levels.

[wesshaw1985]

[wesshaw1985]

[dirk2686]

How has a little Filipino and a gobshite Irish guy got so popular over there? AJ just doesn’t have the personality or ability to crossover. Ricky Hatton did it. AJ is hugely overrated in this country, all because Fury couldn’t be bothered to beat him up.

Are you saying Hatton was massive in the States? 920k buys in the US against Floyd doesn't really suggest he was. We all know Floyd was the draw there. AJ did more buys in the 60m population UK v Wlad than Floyd Hatton did in the 300m+ US. Floyd also did around 50% more against Mosley and the Hatton fight did less business than his fights against the fairly nondescript likes of Guerrero and Ortiz.

Anyway the landscape has shifted massively. Boxing is a boom sport in the UK now. In years gone by Joshua would have needed to be in the US early to make big money but that's not the case. Their own heavyweight champion is unknown.