Former cruiserweight world champion Tony Bellew has verbally blasted WBC heavyweight king Deontay Wilder - for the failed negotiations to finalize a unification deal with IBF, WBO, WBA, IBO world champion Anthony Joshua.
The two sides were negotiating for months, but earlier this week their discussions fell apart after the World Boxing Association ordered Joshua to make a mandatory defense against Alexander Povetkin.
Joshua vs. Povetkin is now scheduled to take place in the fall.
After several offers going back and forth in the last few months - the current offer, from Joshua's team, is a showdown date in April 2019 for a guaranteed purse of $15 million for Wilder.
Wilder wants a 50-50 revenue split - and refuses to take a flat-fee purse for a fight of that magnitude.
According to Bellew, the offer of $15 million is far above what Wilder has earned for any fight on his record.
Bellew is also not impressed with Wilder's record of wins - and also shot down Wilder's name value in the United States.
"How much has Wilder made in his career? His highest ever purse was actually a fall through of a purse bid. The purse bid was $7.15million to face Alexander Povetkin. The Russian then failed a drug test. Eddie Hearn has offered him £15m to come to the UK. That’s treble his best ever payday," Bellew told The Metro.
"I understand he’s said it’s chump change, but he has to understand he is the B-side in this fight. Whatever you describe this, Deontay Wilder is the B-side. No one knows who he is, he’s got one belt and fought absolutely nobody in 40 pro fights. The best win in his career was against Bermane Stiverne and the second fight was a one-round blowout. After that it’s Luis Ortiz. Let’s be honest, Ortiz was 90 years old when he fought Wilder. In my opinion, I’ve got a better record at heavyweight than Wilder. I fought a former heavyweight world champion twice.
"Wilder has to understand he is the B-side. He’s the man with on belt and no stand-out victories on his resume. Joshua has three belts, he is the best heavyweight in the world, he’s been in bigger fights. You have to ask yourself this question, why didn’t Wilder chase Wladimir Klitschko for a unification fight? He’s great on social media and does these great little videos, talking nonsense. He talks like he’s still on the streets.
"He’s supposed to the WBC heavyweight champion of the world. He’s supposed to be the face of boxing in America. He’s not even the face of his city. No one knows him, it’s a sham of a job that’s been done for him on the promotional front. He should be a mega-star. This is a man who wears the same belt as Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson once did, and yet nobody knows him. His country doesn’t back him. The whole situation is an absolute mess. One thing I can say is Joshua wants the fight. Wilder can come up with all the stupid things he likes, he’s full of it."
