Deontay Wilder prepared to sign contract to face Anthony Joshua

A contract to fully unify heavyweight titles this fall is close to being a done deal. At least that’s what some would have you believe with Deontay Wilder’s handler Shelly Finkel telling ESPN that they’re nearly ready to sign Eddie Hearn’s offer to face Anthony Joshua.

Finkel says contrary to Hearn’s recent public statements, they anticipate inking Hearn’s offer by the end of the week. They’re only requesting “small changes” be made to the deal, but wouldn’t divulge what those changes specifically entailed.

In any case, Finkel insists that Wilder wants the fight so bad that he’s already acquiesced to Hearn’s flat purse of $15M with no upside and agreed to fight in Joshua’s home country of the United Kingdom.

“I want to make it clear that Deontay Wilder wants this fight more than Anthony Joshua does, which is evidenced by the fact that Wilder accepted a flat purse for this fight, which is unheard of for a fight of this magnitude,” Finkel said. “He also has accepted to fight Anthony Joshua in the U.K., while Anthony Joshua did not accept a $50 million offer, which Joshua originally asked for, plus a percentage (of the profits) to fight Wilder in the U.S.”

Finkel also points out that the contract sent by Hearn didn’t specify a date or venue for the proposed fight, but it’s been generally discussed that it would be between October and November in Cardiff, Wales.