It was a poor year, I guess partly to be expected considering the amount of retirements. Lots of fighters didn't kick on as expected though. Joshua started the year too determined to fight a US fighter. Fury took a year off. Brook took a year off. Few highlights were: Josh Taylor! Fitzgerald vs Fowler and Cheese Dubois vs Gorman Yarde vs Kovalev The real question is how many British fighters have gone up in your estimation during 2019. I can't think of many. Plenty have gone down or stayed the same though. The Whyte thing set an awful precedent. We've had some pretty hilarious excuses for steroids being found in boxers' systems over the years, but with Whyte they didn't even bother giving an excuse. "Umm, those steroids that were found, the drug testing people said that it's ok now. As you were." Almost felt like they were testing the water to see if anyone really cares. The answer is they don't.
I don't really get this narrative. Yes Wilder's a big puncher, but thus far in his career Joshua has shown willingness to get in with Klitschko when he was an absolute novice and rematched a guy who had stopped him immediately. I don't see why, at any stage, he would be so keen to avoid Wilder, who himself has spent a career fighting dismal opposition in the main.
BABC1 is a good poster but I have to say I'm a little unsure as to whether AJ was dodging Wilder. You make some good points, Tony, AJ deserves more respect and credit than he often gets, how many people were saying he shouldn't face Ruiz again? Lennox Lewis for starters....
I think they wanted Wilder more than that fight. Think about it, what are the chances of 3 specific fights with everything ironed out actually being put into that contract...and that's without it being against the Ali Act
I should’ve clarified. I think it’s more the teams, but that can still apply to your point about AJ taking risks so I’ll address that. I think Wlad was more of a calculated risk, that’s shown in the fact that AJ was such a heavy favourite, and majority of pundits picking him. Whereas Wilder was an out and out risk and they didn’t know how it would go, hence why they wanted all the advantages there. Yes, they’re the A-Side and naturally, you would want all the advantages, but if you REALLY want the fight, you make the concessions. No coincidence that once AJ lost, out come the “we will give them 50-50”...the 0 protection wasn’t there anymore. he asked for a guaranteed $50m, he was offered it, and then all the rubbish started most of what I’ve said applies to Wilder as well. He wants “one name, one champion, one face” blah blah blah, he’d have taken one of the many deals he was offered. I Think the blame can go both ways
I can't see blame going both ways. No offical offer was made by Wilders team just an email sent from Wilder personal email stating an amount of $50m with his team refusing to sent Matchroom terms and conditions. So it was clear a fake marketing gimmic. Matchroom have been reported to offer 5 official offers to get this fight in 12m, 15m, 35%, 40% and then $100m deal ($20m for Breazeale & $80m for 2 fights with AJ). Everyone of these offers are a career high purse for Wilder.
Wilder and his team are serial duckers. Klitschko was desperate to fight him and become undisputed, he even went to america to try and get the fight. Then there was Povetkin, they did not want any part of Povetkin and surprise he got pulled up and later cleared on a drugs charge. Then there was Whyte, they got in Dominic Breazeale instead, a guy who is a semi pro boxer and a certified tomato can. Then came Ortiz again to stop the Whyte fight, they tried to justify it by pretending the first fight was close and he deserved a rematch!? What makes it worse is both Breazeale and Ortiz are on the PBC payroll! Then came Fury, they thought he was fat and shot to pieces and he still managed to get a draw on the cards. I think Joshua would fight him, Joshua has got balls, Wilder and his team do not want the fight and they know his limitations. I'm surprised they took the Fury rematch but they have the third fight locked in the contract, over the three fights he will be taking more than if he got sparked out by Joshua OR WHYTE. Fighting Fury was the right decision financially and it keeps Whyte at bay for now.
If Barry Hearn & AJ both confirmed it, it’s good enough for me reported yes, but they didn’t (about the 3 fight deal). It’s against the Ali Act....but that doesn’t apply to the previous offers Wilder definitely turned down, so he still could’ve had the fight if his side REALLY wanted it
I’m very dismissive of any talk involving ‘you want the fight you make your concessions.’ No no and thrice no. Everyone involved knows their value and massively overstating your own is a plain and simple duck.
I’m guessing you mean I wouldn’t be if Joshua was clearly the B side? I would. Absolutely, one hundred percent. If Wilder was the guy bringing in all the money, with the multiple world titles, he’d get the lions share. He’d have to. That’s literally how this works for every huge fight in boxing and largely always will unless you’re in the unusual situation of both essentially bringing in an equal share of the business. If Pacquiao, Golovkin or even Mayweather had said ‘I’m part of this too, I want an equal share’ for their fights against Mayweather, Canelo and De Le Hoya respectively those fights don’t get made. Same thing here.
How tedious. Just concede the point that literally nobody in the history of boxing who was the clear A-side in a promotion conceded their status to make a fight. It doesn’t happen, yet you think it should when the A-side is Joshua. Why?
