Hearn: Deontay Wilder’s team have preyed on Anthony Joshua’s words

In the immediate aftermath of Deontay Wilder’s guaranteed $50M purse offer to Anthony Joshua for an undisputed heavyweight title unification, Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn shares some of his thoughts on offer.

“They want total control of the show, date and venue of their choice. Not necessarily a deal breaker but if it is serious, we need to look at it, proof of funds, proper contract see the terms and what they require from us and we go from there,” Hearn told IFL TV.

Hearn would intimate that the offer could just be a publicity stunt while questioning the timing of it — considering the sides have a meeting scheduled for tomorrow, but he really wants to see whether or not the offered funds are readily available.

Hearn also mentioned that there are other considerations at play, such as Joshua’s binding contractual agreements with particular broadcasters which could be a potential roadblock, but that he’s certainly interested in the amount of money offered. He would then go on accuse Wilder and his team of “[preying] on the words of Anthony,” who presumably made an off the cuff statement in saying he’d take the fight for $50M.

“This is where it is clever. It is a 50-50 split against a guarantee of $50m. So if the fight made $120m he would get another $10m. But it is not going to make that. What they have done here is that they are banking on the fight could make $70m and he gets $20m against the $12.5 that we offered him.”

Should Wilder’s offer prove viable, he has obviously called Joshua’s bluff. We’ll keep you updated on where this whole thing goes...