Promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport is hoping WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (38-0, 37 KOs) will accept a very lucrative offer for a potential fight with Dillian Whyte (20-1, 15 KOs).

Whyte has been out of the ring since December 2016, after winning a very close Fight of The Year battle with domestic rival Dereck Chisora.

Wilder was in action back in February, when he knocked out late replacement Gerald Washington.

Wilder is likely going to defend his title on a date in September or October, but Hearn is not sure if the champion will actually accept the proposal to fight Whyte.

Hearn has made several offers to Wilder's co-manager, Al Haymon.

But a few days ago, Wilder erupted on social media and pretty much degraded Whyte as a title challenger and took shots at Hearn's offer. 

Hearn is very surprised by Wilder's reaction, because a win over Whyte could set the stage for a unification with IBF, WBA, IBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (19-0, 19 KOs) - who Hearn also promotes.

"I've made several offers to Al Haymon's team and we are awaiting a final answer, but I think Deontay made things clear on his Instagram," Hearn told Sky Sports.

"It's a great offer and a great career move - a chance to earn plenty of money but also be involved in a real fight and IF he is good enough to win then it sets up a massive fight between Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder."

"What I'm seeing from these camps is a reluctance to face Dillian. They know he is a handful and it's more than likely you are going to have a roll around at the press conference as well. Let's hope we can all be sensible and give the fans what they want - real heavyweight match-ups."

Wilder does have a mandatory challenger in Bermane Stiverne, but most observers do not expect him to be the opponent of choice for the fall. Wilder dominated Stiverne over twelve rounds to capture the WBC title in January 2015.