Wilder camp wants ‘new offer’ for Joshua heavyweight bout
NEW YORK: WBC champion Deontay Wilder’s representatives have said they will not resume negotiations for a fight with Briton Anthony Joshua until better terms are offered and that no such offer has been forthcoming, Sky News reported.
American Wilder and the 28year- old Joshua, who holds the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO crowns, were in talks for a fight that would unify the heavyweight title but the negotiations broke down.
Wilder has since announced he will fight Tyson Fury in the United States on Dec 1, while Joshua’s representatives have been pushing for Wilder to reach a conditional agreement to fight Joshua next year.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn and his father Barry want the agreement in place before Wilder faces Fury.
“I’ve sent three separate e-mails to Barry saying I have no desire to meet with Barry unless I have a real offer for Wilder to meet Joshua,” Wilder’s promoter Shelly Finkel told Sky Sports.
“He and I have been in the business long enough to know what that offer would look like. Where is the new offer? Nowhere to be found.”
Joshua, who is locked in to stage his next fight at Wembley in London on April 13 next year, beat Russian Alexander Povetkin at the same stadium on Saturday.
The Briton, who like Wilder has an unbeaten record, said after the victory that he would prefer to take on the American next, but was happy to fight whoever came his way. — Reuters