Eddie Hearn insists defeat for Anthony Joshua against Dillian Whyte will dash hopes of a December showdown against Deontay Wilder.
A deal for Joshua to face Wilder in a lucrative clash in Saudi Arabia in December is all but agreed, although ‘AJ’ will gamble that prospect when he faces Whyte in a grudge rematch at the O2 Arena on August 12, live on DAZN pay-per-view.
Joshua’s promoter, Hearn who has negotiated the long-awaited meeting with ‘The Bronze Bomber’ with backers in the Middle East says those plans will go up in smoke if the former two-time heavyweight world champion falls at this final hurdle.
“The Saudis have made it clear to us, if AJ loses this fight, the offer is off the table,” Hearn told IFLTV.
“Not saying the fight is dead forever, but the offer you have is off the table.
“Just saying that to you makes me sweat a little bit.
“But isn’t that f***ing great?
“’AJ’ has basically gone, ‘I don’t want to fight Wallin, Kabayel, whoever, because I’m just not up for it. I want to fight Dillian Whyte. I want a tear up with Dillian Whyte at the O2.’
“I think he’s going, ‘you know what, if I don’t beat Dillian Whyte, maybe I don’t deserve the Deontay Wilder fight, so roll the dice.’”
⏰ Time to run it back August 12 😤#Boxing #JoshuaWhyte2 #AnthonyJoshua #DillianWhyte pic.twitter.com/V5c4Z1pNrl
— Pro Boxing Fans (@ProBoxingFans) July 6, 2023
Joshua stopped his bitter rival in the seventh round at the same venue in 2015 to claim the British heavyweight title.
The 33-year-old bounced back from consecutive defeats to Oleksandr Usyk by outpointing Jermaine Franklin in April, just over four months after he was ringside to witness Whyte overcome the American by majority decision.
‘AJ’ will finish his second training camp in Dallas under Derrick James, whom he appointed after parting ways with Rob McCracken, while Whyte will conclude his preparations with Buddy McGirt in Florida.
The London rivals will come face-to-face at a press conference in London on Monday.
