The pro-Hearn idiots are TERRIBLE for boxing.

[WBC WBA IBF]

Say it... repeat it... write it backwards on the forehead and look in a lot of mirrors... This is sig worthy material in a great way.

Two problems with his post. First problem is that clearly Whyte was the one holding up the Fury fight. Second problem is that while Joshua fought many top 20 contenders, he never fought a top 3 fighter. Joshua, Wilder and Fury were who the public wanted to see fight each other. Wilder and Fury delivered three fights against each other while Joshua has never delivered a fight against the other top guys people wanted to see him fight. Even worse, despite not fighting the top guys, he still managed to get beat twice.

Yes, Hearn will bring a top 10 guy into a heavily controlled environment, with every advantage on his side and hope for the best. And sometimes even that doesn't work and Hearn's guy still loses. That's the chance you take with a top 10 guy vs #30. But what truly excites the world at large is the best fighting the best and Joshua never gave us that.

[Roberto Vasquez]

Just because he’s losing doesn’t mean AJ’s opponents are great or even top guys for that matter. Is Ruiz great? Hell to the no. I know Usyk was undisputed at Cruiser weight but is he really great? I can’t think of one great thing he does in the ring.

Ruiz was a stand in for Miller. And they tried to get Ortiz before him. Who lied about being given a low offer. Who do you think is a great HW then that Joshua should have fought?

[Sctrojan]

Two problems with his post. First problem is that clearly Whyte was the one holding up the Fury fight. Second problem is that while Joshua fought many top 20 contenders, he never fought a top 3 fighter. Joshua, Wilder and Fury were who the public wanted to see fight each other. Wilder and Fury delivered three fights against each other while Joshua has never delivered a fight against the other top guys people wanted to see him fight. Even worse, despite not fighting the top guys, he still managed to get beat twice.

Yes, Hearn will bring a top 10 guy into a heavily controlled environment, with every advantage on his side and hope for the best. And sometimes even that doesn't work and Hearn's guy still loses. That's the chance you take with a top 10 guy vs #30. But what truly excites the world at large is the best fighting the best and Joshua never gave us that.

Why do you continue to spew this nonsense?? Joshua/DAZN tried to give us a Wilder showdown and 2 career high $40million dollar paydays to Wilder to go along with it. Did Wilder turn down 2 offers, a 3 fight =$100mil or a 4 fight/$120mil deal,because he got his feelings hurt? Yes or No?

I know what your response will be so another question,which offer seems more authentic..... an alleged $50mil "email" offer from Finkel that was to self-destruct in 24hrs....VS.... an offer shot across the table to Wilder,at DAZN's corporate office, from the Skipper himself?? Which of those two do you think is a more honest attempt at trying to make that fight?

[Outwest Exp 355]

Ruiz was a stand in for Miller. And they tried to get Ortiz before him. Who lied about being given a low offer. Who do you think is a great HW then that Joshua should have fought?

Ortiz was in shape, did you see his belly when he went in the ring to challenge Wilder, and he already had a deal to rematch Wilder. Ruiz was probably the best they could do giving the circumstance.

[WBC WBA IBF]

Joshua/DAZN tried to give us a Wilder showdown and 2 career high $40million dollar paydays to Wilder to go along with it. Did Wilder turn down 2 offers, a 3 fight =$100mil or a 4 fight/$120mil deal,because he got his feelings hurt? Yes or No?

He turned it down for a few reasons. #1, The offer was only valid if Joshua won his next fight and Wilder's side saw no reason to agree to anything before they saw what happened in Joshua's next fight. #2, The offer was only valid if DAZN was able to secure future rights to Joshua and Wilder's side saw no reason to agree to anything when Joshua wasn't signed to DAZN beyond his next fight and DAZN couldn't guarantee he'd fight Wilder. #3, Wilder's side wasn't confident DAZN would actually deliver on their promises, and we've seen since then that DAZN refused to pay Canelo and GGG what they promised them.

So you can't say it was a mistake not to sign at that time since Joshua ended up losing his next fight anyway and the fight would have never happened regardless. Haymon is the most successful boxing manager in history and Finkel is the most successful heavyweight boxing manager in history. They saw right through DAZN's bull****. There was no reason to commit to DAZN when Joshua wasn't committed to DAZN and risk infuriating Fox and Showtime, only to not even end up getting the fight anyway. They played things the right way by waiting to see if Joshua won his next fight and waiting to see if Joshua was leaving DAZN or not.

an alleged $50mil "email" offer from Finkel that was to self-destruct in 24hrs....VS.... an offer shot across the table to Wilder,at DAZN's corporate office, from the Skipper himself?? Which of those two do you think is a more honest attempt at trying to make that fight?

The 24 hour deadline from Wilder's email was copied & pasted from Hearn's $12.5 million offer, which also included a 24 hour deadline. It was included as a bit of a **** you to Hearn, but nobody takes those deadlines seriously and you can't blame the deadline for killing the fight when the two sides continued to talk about the fight for weeks. So the deadline was irrelevant. Just a bit of gamesmanship since Hearn had pulled the same stunt on Wilder.

I'm not sure why you're hung up on the offer being sent by email. Attached to the email was a three page term sheet laying out the critical details of the offer. People don't really fax offers in boxing anymore. Usually they use email.

[Marchegiano]

Crazy to me the nationalism he's drummed up using an American song.

Also, bit sad given the UK has just much, much, better songs than Sweet Caroline.

[billeau2]

Two problems with his post. First problem is that clearly Whyte was the one holding up the Fury fight. Second problem is that while Joshua fought many top 20 contenders, he never fought a top 3 fighter. Joshua, Wilder and Fury were who the public wanted to see fight each other. Wilder and Fury delivered three fights against each other while Joshua has never delivered a fight against the other top guys people wanted to see him fight. Even worse, despite not fighting the top guys, he still managed to get beat twice.

Yes, Hearn will bring a top 10 guy into a heavily controlled environment, with every advantage on his side and hope for the best. And sometimes even that doesn't work and Hearn's guy still loses. That's the chance you take with a top 10 guy vs #30. But what truly excites the world at large is the best fighting the best and Joshua never gave us that.

Im not commenting on the fight dynamics: Im commenting on where a fan's loyalty ought to be. I never really prognosticate on who is holding who up in a fight... as a promoter you have understanding to speak on that subject, I do not... as a rule I do not think most fighters are scared, and I don't know what otherwise makes them decide about whom to fight, aside from money. I have my experience fighting full contact in the ring, and doing well, BUT I was never a fighter lol. The guys that enjoyed that experience had a different mentality than myself. We both did it well but comng from a totally different perspective.

Regarding Joshua, I think your point is really relevant when considering that most of the division is weak. I tend to see many shades of grey with a few spots in the pecking order starting to emerge... Specifically, the difference in Parker, compared to Ruiz, compared to Ortiz, compared to Whyte... the impact of winning/losing to Povatkin, yada yada... is imo not really worthy of much debate lol... As compared to the difference between Fury, Usyk, perhaps Wilder, and the rest of the pack.

Joshua, Fury, etc... Nobody has given us that (the best fighting the best). The difference is, in the 70's, when you had Jimmy Young beating up Foreman, and Ali with razor thin victories against Norton, etc... the problems were: finding the best amongst the strongest heavyweights that ever fought in the division! While in this case? we have a large mediocre pack, and we need to see who will win!

[kafkod]

Crazy to me the nationalism he's drummed up using an American song.

Also, bit sad given the UK has just much, much, better songs than Sweet Caroline.

There's no nationalism involved in singing that song at boxing shows, just excited, boozed up people letting off steam while waiting for the fighters to come out for the main event.

[WBC WBA IBF]

Im not commenting on the fight dynamics: Im commenting on where a fan's loyalty ought to be. I never really prognosticate on who is holding who up in a fight.

The WBC ordered the fight. Whyte objected to the split. His objection caused a delay. It doesn't mean he was scared, but it does mean Fury can't be blamed for the delay.

Regarding Joshua, I think your point is really relevant when considering that most of the division is weak.

Agreed. So if Joshua fights several fights against guys rated #5, or #8, or #12, he's building a good resume, but it's not the same thing as #1 vs #2 going at it like we saw with Fury and Wilder. Hearn clearly didn't want Joshua in there with the very best of the best, especially if it wasn't going to be a very heavily controlled British environment.

[removed]

Crazy to me the nationalism he's drummed up using an American song.

Also, bit sad given the UK has just much, much, better songs than Sweet Caroline.

I fucking hate that song.