The AJ/Wilder marketing strategy is working, Deontay is finally getting publicity!

[Jubei]

It's pretty clear that both teams didnt want that fight to happen in 2018. Why? Wilder, even though he is the WBC Heavyweight Champion with a 98% ko ratio, is not well known in the US, and internationally he is basically unknown, AJ also needs more exposure in the US market.

The AJ/Wilder fight this year, in late 2018 would only do moderate numbers. A fight that is heavily promoted (yes, whats happening right now is called PROMOTION) for almost a year with way more and very involved fans, fighters with grudges and disrespect for each other, and the fight getting tons of media coverage and months of months of added promotion will do very good numbers in 2019.

The marketing strategy is working like a charm, both teams are in the news almost daily with their back and forth, open negotiations, blaming and namecalling, "he said that, she said that" etc.

Why do you think Finkel started sending Emails about usually internal negotiations meant for Hearn to certain boxing journalists first or at the same time? Hearn also does a ton of "work" with his hour long interviews/videos talking about the negotations openly and having a ton of fun doing so.

The fans are getting involved heavily, specially on social media like on this forum, even casual fans start to pay attention and are taking a side. There's usually UK fans siding with AJ and US fans siding with Wilder. Everyone feels like they are right and speaking the truth defending their side, but nobody really knows for sure, except Hearn and Finkle.

Anyway, this all is basically free promotion, a win/win situation for everyone involved, except the naive fans who want to see the fight now and dont realize that they are getting played by both teams.

Wilder is getting the publicity, promotion and exposure he never had before in his career. AJ is also getting more popular, it doesnt matter if its good or bad publicity for a fighter, as long as people watch your fights to see you win or lose.

Stop being naive and get so mad/involved, realize that this fight is getting promoted right now, both teams are doing their job and just fooling the fans a bit. In 6 months nobody will even care about who said what or did what right now.

[N/A]

It's pretty clear that both teams didnt want that fight to happen in 2018. Why? Wilder, even though he is the WBC Heavyweight Champion with a 98% ko ratio, is not well known in the US

This just isn't true. Are you even from the US? Wilder is Showtime's biggest ratings draw and PBC's biggest ticket seller.

Just because AJ is a much bigger star in the UK than Wilder is in the US doesn't change the fact that Wilder is one of the biggest American stars in boxing.

For example, Wilder has nearly a million followers on instagram. Terence Crawford has less than a quarter million.

Wilder stars in a hit reality show on TV. Is constantly in the headlines. To say he's not well known is an opinion, which is fine, but if he's not well known, he's still more well known than almost any other American boxer. And well known enough that Showtime believed this would be a major PPV and was willing to put up the money so AJ could have his 50 million guarantee.

[killakali]

This just isn't true. Are you even from the US? Wilder is Showtime's biggest ratings draw and PBC's biggest ticket seller.

Just because AJ is a much bigger star in the UK than Wilder is in the US doesn't change the fact that Wilder is one of the biggest American stars in boxing.

For example, Wilder has nearly a million followers on instagram. Terence Crawford has less than a quarter million.

Wilder stars in a hit reality show on TV. Is constantly in the headlines. To say he's not well known is an opinion, which is fine, but if he's not well known, he's still more well known than almost any other American boxer. And well known enough that Showtime believed this would be a major PPV and was willing to put up the money so AJ could have his 50 million guarantee.

See now this is just ignorance. Wilder is not well known. Using your logic and let's use facts here, Wilder has 918k Instagram followers. So for comparison your boy Ryan Garcia, an exciting prospect but not even a champ or even a contender yet has 984k followers. So lets follow your logic, you are saying that Ryan Garcia is a bigger star than Deontay Wilder and is one of the biggest stars in American boxing.

And then compare to Anthony Joshua who has 6.6mil IG followers. I bet that AJ has more American IG followers than Wilder does.

I am glad to see that you are saying Ryan Garcia is one of the most popular American boxers out there and more popular than Wilder.

[Pechorin]

This just isn't true. Are you even from the US? Wilder is Showtime's biggest ratings draw and PBC's biggest ticket seller.

Just because AJ is a much bigger star in the UK than Wilder is in the US doesn't change the fact that Wilder is one of the biggest American stars in boxing.

For example, Wilder has nearly a million followers on instagram. Terence Crawford has less than a quarter million.

Wilder stars in a hit reality show on TV. Is constantly in the headlines. To say he's not well known is an opinion, which is fine, but if he's not well known, he's still more well known than almost any other American boxer. And well known enough that Showtime believed this would be a major PPV and was willing to put up the money so AJ could have his 50 million guarantee.

I'm American, from TX. And I can confidently say that Wilder is completely unknown here.

[Boxingfan8888]

I agree

Wilder never signed the contract for a reason, he has no desire to fight aj and used his name to get noticed and then avoided him

[jglvz256]

I got the impression that Wilder was known, but not particularly rated by US fans. Most of the critical threads on here about him were by Americans. It was only when a rival in the shape of Joshua emerged that they rallied behind him.

[Curt Henning]

I agree

Wilder never signed the contract for a reason, he has no desire to fight aj and used his name to get noticed and then avoided him

whats more logical?

wilder used AJ to raise his marginal profile by a marginal amount?

or the cashcow is afraid of a 6-7, athletic, HW knockout artist who could derail his career?

lol

what a bunch of twats you AJ excuse makers are

[The Big Dunn]

I don’t necessarily agree with Jubei’s conspiracy theory as he’s laid it out but he is correct that the fiasco has been covered in the press and made the fight feel bigger.

[Curt Henning]

wilder is not some well known superstar by any means

but hes known in the US and has steadily been raising his profile....casuals at work know him....my best friends wife even knows who he is cause she watches some reality show....

the AJ/wilder fight hype is building in the us....theyve talked about it numerous times on boston sports talk radio and they rarely talk fights unless its a big one(ie canelo/ggg...old floyd fights)...they have so much material on boston sports alone they rarely delve into much of anything else

wilder has been all over radio after the ortiz win building his profile wiht the african american audience

his profile is getting bigger....but hes far from a superstar...

the only thing that makes him a SUPERSTAR is beating joshua

which is why its only logical he wants the fight ASAP.....whereas the superstar is trying to put it off

its common sense and logical....which is why it escapes the AJ cum guzzlers

[N/A]

See now this is just ignorance. Wilder is not well known.

He just sold over 14,000 tickets in New York and did over a million live viewers on linear Showtime, plus however many were watching on Showtime Anytime live and the Showtime app.

Ryan Garcia is one of the more well known fighters in the US as well, but unlike Wilder, he isn't a major premium cable headliner yet.