Promoter Eddie Hearn is frustrated right now, and he is not at all convinced the fight that appeared so close to being made – Wladimir Klitschko Vs. Anthony Joshua – will actually happen this December as was planned/hoped. Speaking with Sky Sports this afternoon, Hearn said he is now waiting on the WBA, who will make a decision soon as to whether or not they will sanction Joshua against Klitschko.
Hearn, though, said he is “not hopeful,” and spoke of the growing rumours that suggest “Dr. Steel Hammer” will be back operating against Australia’s Lucas Browne on Dec 10 instead of against AJ.
“I worked hard on the contract for two or three weeks but then Wladimir insisted that the WBA belt be on the line, something he wasn’t too bothered about initially,” Hearn said today. “We are waiting on the WBA sanctioning decision. It’s the biggest fight in the heavyweight division right now so why wouldn’t you sanction it? Maybe they are being driven by who Wladimir wants to fight? So it’s kind of up to Wladimir who he wants to fight. Does he go Anthony Joshua or Lucas Browne?”
There is still no official confirmation that Klitschko will face Browne, or anyone else, and we must wait to see what decision the WBA makes. But Hearn is looking at other challengers for his IBF champ, in case, as he fears, the Klitschko fight will not happen.
Just who are the names in the frame to step in and face AJ in Manchester on Dec 10? Here are the names Hearn listed today:
Eric Molina, Bryant Jennings, David Price (who has said, or to be more accurate, his trainer has said, he will take the fight “if the terms are right”), Alexander Ustinov and, Hearn’s preferred choice (after Klitschko of course) Kubrat Pulev.
All five of these fighters are good/decent enough contenders, but when we were so close, it seemed, to a Joshua-Klitschko showdown, either of these possible late replacement match-ups is bound to be seen as something of a let down to the fans. And, with Dec 10 just eight weeks away, will the likes of Pulev feel this is enough time to get 100-percent ready? Molina, a real pro who is always, as he says, “waiting for the call” for a big fight opportunity, is in training right now, just in case.
Maybe Joshua and Klitschko will wind up meeting some time net year. Unless of course Browne causes the big upset and defeats Klitschko.
