WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman wants to see the unification fight between WBC heavyweight champion Deontay “Bronze Bomber” Wilder and IBF/WBA champion Anthony Joshua. Sulaiman doesn’t want to see economics keep the Wilder-Joshua fight from going down in 2018.
Right now the economics is the major roadblock keeping the fight from being made. It’s still early yet, but Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn is making it clear that Wilder won’t be getting a 50-50 split of the money.
Just what percentage Hearn feels is acceptable is the big question. Wilder will likely never agree to a 70-30 or below. It’s going to take a respectable offer from Hearn to make the fight happen between Wilder and Joshua.
“This fight should be made. There’s no need to delay it,” said Sulaiman to wbcboxing.com. “The WBC has expressed absolute support for the fight and I’m sure that the other organizations will do the same. So, I think everyone should get on with it. Deontay really wants this fight. He has seen three fights fall apart due to adverse findings, he has suffered and he’s had to wait,” said Sulaiman.
It’s not enough that Sulaiman wants the Joshua-Wilder fight to take place. This is about money. Hearn wants to get the best possible deal for his fighter Joshua at the expense of Wilder. Hearn is also saying that Wilder shouldn’t have a say for where the fight takes place because he doesn’t bring in the same kind of money that Joshua does. Hearn’s attitude indicates that it’s going to be really difficult for Wilder to get a fair deal in the negotiations.
Sulaiman notes that the boxing world is excited about the prospects of Joshua and Wilder battling it out in a unification fight next year. The fans want to ssee these two large heavyweights trade blows. Sulaiman believes that there’s little chance that the fight will go the distance due to the hug punching power of the two.
“Everyone is talking about it,” said Sulaiman of the Joshua-Wilder match. “Once they both sign the contract, it’s going to be a tremendous road, leading up to the greatest heavyweight championship fight in a decade. The Fight is ready to take place,” said Suliaman.
If the fight isn’t made, Joshua can still fight Joseph Parker for his WBO heavyweight title, and former unified champion Tyson Fury. It’s still not a given that Hearn will be able to negotiate the fight with Parker though, as he’s been complaining on Twitter that the money offered to him isn’t to his liking.
“Anthony Joshua, thanks for offering me less than half of what you paid [Charles] Martin to unify,” said Parker. “Do you really want to fight? Make a serious offer.”
