Take the dosh, Josh
HEAVYWEIGHT OFFER TOO GOOD TO TURN DOWN SAYS HAYE
DAVID HAYE reckons Anthony Joshua should snatch Deontay Wilder’s hand off over his £36m offer to fight his heavyweight rival.
Wilder’s team went public with their bid, claiming they had submitted the mega deal by email to AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn for a world heavyweight unification clash.
WBC world title holder Wilder insists the fight must be staged in America.
Haye, who has a rematch with Tony Bellew at London’s O2 Arena on May 5, said: “If they can rustle up $50m, get it into a bank account and say to Joshua to fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on such and such a date, then I am sure Wilder has got a fight.
“The deal to me sounds strange, but maybe there is some mega-rich oil tycoon behind it all.
“I, for one, don’t know where that kind of money would come from.
“But someone seems to be chucking crazy money around.
“As a promoter, Eddie Hearn won’t take anybody’s word that the money will be there waiting for them after the fight.
“No, he will want cast-iron guarantees. You would have to take half off that $50m for the tax man. But if it’s $50m for Joshua, what does that leave Wilder?”
Hearn was due to meet Wilder’s management today in New York but that looks set to be shelved.
Shelly Finkel, Wilder’s co-manager, emailed Hearn last night to reassure him their £36m offer was not a publicity stunt and that the money is there for the fight.
But Finkel believes a meeting would be “non-productive” if Joshua does not accept the offer.
That is set to lead to an impasse as Hearn will not allow his fighter to accept the offer until he sees a contract and proof the money will be paid.
Haye, 37, was chasing a fight himself with Joshua but all those plans are on the hold until he faces Bellew a week tomorrow.
‘Hayemaker’ is chasing revenge after being stopped by Bellew in the 11th round back in March 2017 after he shredded his Achilles during the bout.
The former two-weight world champion doesn’t want to bring the curtain down on his career with a loss.
Haye (left) added: “I honestly believed that I would have little trouble in beating Bellew the last time we fought, but an Achilles injury influenced the fight.
“I’ve watched the tape of my defeat time and again and I couldn’t believe I had boxed so badly.”