Anthony Joshua’s showdown with Deontay Wilder looks IN DOUBT as Eddie Hearn warns a shift in Saudi boxing management may see another fight held instead in December
Anthony Joshua’s showdown with Deontay Wilder appears IN DOUBT as Eddie Hearn warns a shift in Saudi boxing management could see another fight held in December
- Anthony Joshua’s fight against Deontay Wilder later this year may not happen
- Eddie Hearn has blamed the problem on a change in Saudi boxing management
- Instead, Andy Ruiz and Filip Hrgovic are mentioned as potential opponents
Anthony Joshua’s highly anticipated showdown against Deontay Wilder may now not take place later this year, promoter Eddie Hearn has warned.
A possible shift in boxing in Saudi Arabia has been blamed as the biggest stumbling block currently threatening to thwart the fight initially scheduled for this winter.
New Saudi management, Skill Challenge Entertainment, is the organization responsible for organizing Tyson Fury’s crossover fight against Francis Ngannou.
And apparently Hearn is concerned that the company is instead leaning towards similar hybrid match-ups, such as Fury’s fight in Riyadh on October 28.
Should a deal for Joshua to take on Wilder not materialize in the near future, Hearn has instead named two other potential opponents for the heavyweight.
Anthony Joshua’s expected showdown against Deontay Wilder now looks in doubt
Wilder was due to face Joshua in Saudi Arabia this year, but talks have been slow
Eddie Hearn has warned that a change in Saudi boxing management could now scupper the fight
“If we don’t sort that out soon, you’ll probably see AJ fight (someone else) in December,” Hearn said. Boxing King Media.
“First, Prince Khalid (bin Abdulaziz) have been great partners and good friends to us. I’m sure we will work with that new entity as well.
“You saw yesterday they threw a lot of money into those things and made some noise.
“For us, we have agreed to the terms for Joshua and Wilder, but until we have a contract, there will be no fight.
‘Everyone has agreed to the terms, but until the money is secured, there will be no fight.
Joshua will likely fight again anyway, with Hearn eyeing another scrap for December
Andy Ruiz Jnr (left), who defeated Joshua in 2019, is touted as a possible next opponent
“There is a movement in the management and ownership of boxing in Saudi Arabia, and it is up to them what they want to do.
“If they don’t want to do Joshua-Wilder, it might go somewhere else, but it’s one of the biggest fights in heavyweight boxing.”
Filip Hrgovic and Andy Ruiz Jr. are touted as likely next foes for Joshua, although any fight is expected to take place outside Britain.
Asked about possible next rivals for Joshua, Hearn said: ‘Filip Hrgovic, Andy Ruiz, I don’t know. A step up is needed, but it will probably take place outside Britain.
‘He’s just had two fights at the O2 in three, four months.’