Is Anthony Joshua a "businessman" like Adonis Stevenson?

[ShoulderRoll]

Is anything fairly obvious right now? They havent started anything resembling negotiations yet

I think you guys are underestimating how much Sky/Hearn are pushing Wilder over here. They are trying to build the fight. Theyve had him ringside for AJ fights, theyve bought all his recent fights, Hearn talks about him in all his interviews.

If they didnt want the fight they would simply not talk about him. Pure and simple. Casuals over here get their boxing news from Sky Sports, if they dont talk about Wilder, nobody knows who he is, nobody calls for the fight.

What more build up does this fight need, really? It will sell out a stadium over there already.

Takam wasn't exactly a well known name amongst casuals I'm sure. Yet Joshua managed to draw 70,000+ with him.

The fight with Wilder should happen now. There's no need to marinate it.

[BattlingNelson]

Deontay clearly and unequivocally said he wants Joshua next, though. He's not the one putting up hurdles and stalling the fight.

Making ridiculous money demands is the same as ducking.

[Tom Cruise]

What more build up does this fight need, really? It will sell out a stadium over there already.

Takam wasn't exactly a well known name amongst casuals I'm sure. Yet Joshua managed to draw 70,000+ with him.

The fight with Wilder should happen now. There's no need to marinate it.

Yeah itll be big because Joshua is a massive deal over here. Joshua vs Parker would probably be only marginally smaller than AJ vs Wilder. And you wouldnt have to pay Parker as much to make the fight.

Basically, Hearn wants another Klitschko'esque payday. When AJ became titlist he had loads of options with Fury lineal champ, Wlad about to rematch Fury, David Haye on the comeback and then Wilder and PArker too. Now a bunch of those options are gone (for now at least) and he needs to maximise the profits from fights like Wilder.

I want the fight next. I just dont see why you guys seem so sure that Hearn/AJ are ducking or are scarred. Seems pretty clear to me this is just a bidness decision.

[BattlingNelson]

I don't think Aj himself has ducked but what Hearn is doing can fairly be called "avoidance". Asking him to fight Whyte first but w/ no guarantee of an AJ fight is hilariously bad. .

You know your boxing. Do you remember how Roy Jones offered Dariusz Michalszewski a slot on his undercard? That would make DM lose a lot of money by not fighting in Germany and ad to that that there was no guarantee of a Jones fight after.

It's kinda sad that some of those saying that DM ducked Jones now have a different standard when it comes to Wilder lmao.

[uppercut510]

Every fighter targets the biggest financial fights. The only reason not to is if you aren't confident of winning.

Why did Wilder turn down $4.5 mil to make $1.4 mil again?

as a boxing fan u should want to see the best fights, u care more about wilders bank account that seeing the best fights? and wilder did not turn down 4.5 mil u guys are pathetic and scared to see the best fight??? u all say ur tired of wilder fighting bums but then he calls out AJ and u want him to fight whyte??? pathetic and cowardly! u so called fans are terrible.

[jas]

1 fighter wants the belts so he can fight mandos - aj

The other wants them to prove hes the best - wilder

[Robbie Barrett]

as a boxing fan u should want to see the best fights, u care more about wilders bank account that seeing the best fights? and wilder did not turn down 4.5 mil u guys are pathetic and scared to see the best fight??? u all say ur tired of wilder fighting bums but then he calls out AJ and u want him to fight whyte??? pathetic and cowardly! u so called fans are terrible.

It's not about caring you spastic, it's about being realistic.

[Holler]

What more build up does this fight need, really? It will sell out a stadium over there already.

Takam wasn't exactly a well known name amongst casuals I'm sure. Yet Joshua managed to draw 70,000+ with him.

The fight with Wilder should happen now. There's no need to marinate it.

There's a scarcity of decent heavyweights at the moment, even if the division is in better shape than it has been in the past. The clear top two are Joshua and Wilder and that fight when it comes has the potential to be huge.

However in England there's very little exposure or knowledge of Wilder. We don't know any of the boxers he's faced in the ring, his fights have been on in the early morning without much in the way of promotion etc. So if the idea is to box at Wembley and make the most amount from the tickets there will have to be some work done in establishing Wilder, because at present no-one outside the most engaged boxing fans would be able to put a name to his face.

They could put the fight on and make decent money, but they would be smarter to build-up to it over 1 or 2 fights. Not only to stoke interest here in the UK, but to try and raise Wilder's profile in the US to the level that PPV will deliver over there.

So if I'm looking as a fan who wants to see exciting matches then sure, make it the next fight. If I were a commercial guy with a remit to maximise revenue and build the biggest event possible I'd be looking at 2 fights or more before going there.

Finally on the issue of 'ducking'. Leaving aside the commercial arguments or even their relative merits as boxers, Wilder's raw power is a danger to anyone and despite his obvious promise, Joshua is still a relative newcomer at the top level.

It's probably in his interest to get more rounds under his belt, take on Parker, maybe a domestic rival like winner of Haye/Bellew, Whyte 2 maybe Fury and even schedule another mandatory before getting round to Wilder. These may not be attractive to the US audience but they would be big over here and make Joshua and Hearn a very large pile of money. Wilder would still be there, a year or two older and perhaps declining, with Joshua improving all the time. The longer the fight is delayed the more the hype can build and the bigger the returns.

So, whilst fans may want to see the best 2 fighters in the ring asap, I don't think it's in the commercial or sporting interests of Joshua to do this soon. He has more of the belts, he has massive appeal, he has other easier lucrative fights he can take and the longer he waits the stronger his position becomes. My bet is that we're more likely to see 2019 than 2018 before they're in a ring together.

[Sparked_26]

1 fighter wants the belts so he can fight mandos - aj

The other wants them to prove hes the best - wilder

I don't think that's why AJ wants the belts tbh. I don't doubt that he has 2 and wants to keep them so he can have a crack at 4. He is gonna have to take that WBA mando at some stage and its probably going to be Ortiz, innit?

Mandos are fine just as long as they aren't **** like Stiverne.

I want that Wilder fight next but it would be easier to make if Wilder had any sort of backing. His manager finally mentioned Vegas. They need to think about making an offer to Wilder instead of waiting cap in hand.

[The Gambler1981]

Yeah itll be big because Joshua is a massive deal over here. Joshua vs Parker would probably be only marginally smaller than AJ vs Wilder. And you wouldnt have to pay Parker as much to make the fight.

Basically, Hearn wants another Klitschko'esque payday. When AJ became titlist he had loads of options with Fury lineal champ, Wlad about to rematch Fury, David Haye on the comeback and then Wilder and PArker too. Now a bunch of those options are gone (for now at least) and he needs to maximise the profits from fights like Wilder.

I want the fight next. I just dont see why you guys seem so sure that Hearn/AJ are ducking or are scarred. Seems pretty clear to me this is just a bidness decision.

While Parker may be paid than Wilder why would he fight Joshua for so very much less, if they lowball Parker he will just wait around and be the last domino to fall and get paid then. If they want Parker they need to pay him north of what they paid Martin most likely, and America bringing substantially more revenue to a fight with Wilder fighting so the revenue numbers will not be close either that it is not even close what those final numbers will be.

I am fine with the fight not being next with Wilder because that fight will obviously be the big one, and everyone involved wants the big one to be right. That takes some time both logistically to make sure every dollar is gotten and to allow the whole fight to just seep in the the pores of the boxing public. So I get having to wait for it and it is no big deal