Shelley Finkel - I called Hearn. Hearn doesn't want the Wilder-Joshua fight.

Who said anything about a pay cut?

If you watched the video, Shelley Finkel points out there are more people in those stadium shows but they don't necessarily make the most money. He said Vegas can still pay more than anyone to host a fight.

I don't want to see Wilder and Joshua in a stale Vegas casino instead of in front of a big British crowd. But I don't want to see any other fight instead of that one, either.

If I have to wait until it's a hot day in England, forget it. Hold it somewhere else.

 

Jesus Christ. Who cares about Luis Ortiz or the release you read in January. It's freaking November. Ortiz is banned.

Wake the hell up already. And move on.

 

And Vegas could pay more to host it than both of them put together.

I don't care. I just want the best to fight.

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When Evander Holyfield was the number one contender to fight Mike Tyson, and Tyson got upset by Douglas, everyone approached Holyfield and asked him to take a step-aside fee so they could stage the Tyson-Douglas rematch.

And I'll never forget Holyfield's manager at the time saying (because I had it on tape, still might) something to the effect that Holyfield was offered a spot on the Tyson-Douglas undercard by Don King, and he could fight anyone he wanted for $4 million on the undercard, and then if Tyson beat Douglas in the return, Holyfield could challenge Tyson for like $10 million. And if Douglas won, Holyfield could challenge Douglas and receive $8 million.

King told Sanders it was a way to "maximize" Holyfield's opportunity, if he just stepped back for a while and let others fight.

And Sanders, at the time, said, "SURE!!!" He was giddy with the prospect. Then Shelley Finkel got a hold of Holyfield and the Duvas and told them the deal Sanders was offered sucked.

And Ken Sanders was summarily fired for being an idiot.

Holyfield turned down the deal. The Holyfield-Douglas fight was offered to the highest bidder. Steve Wynn came in and outbid King and everyone, and paid Douglas like $22 million and Holyfield a lot more than $4 million ... Holyfield won the title from Douglas ... and he was making like $18 million a fight to defend against guys like Holmes.

This "Wilder has to fight Whyte first" scenario sounds like deja vu in some ways.

Like Holyfield being offered the $4 million to fight someone lesser while Joshua gets to go about his business.

It's a sucker's deal.

The money fight is the Joshua fight. The fight that elevates both is the Joshua fight.

It's not the Wilder-Whyte bout.

Wilder-Joshua is the fight. A savvy promoter/manager would let every venue bid on it. Open it up. There are no network conflicts (like is the case with many big fights with fighters who have deals on rival networks).

But Hearn seems to want to put it off. Have Wilder fight someone else. Not let people like Finkel, who was negotiating deals 27 years ago for the money guys like Joshua are making now, get involved or return his calls.

Hearn might be a big deal in the UK. And he's one of the top promoters now. I like him. And those stadium shows look great. Great atmosphere. But guys like Finkel are the ones who make guys hundreds of millions.

And Hearn seems more interested in remaining in control than anything else.

And Hearn seems to be preventing the BIGGEST HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHT that can be made now ... with comments like "maybe I can help Tyson Fury get his license back?" "Or maybe we'll fight Shannon Briggs."

Or the worst of all ... "Let's wait until it's warmer outside."

Long story short, fighting Dillian Whyte and then hoping Hearn agrees to give Wilder a fight with Joshua is a sucker's deal.

Finkel knows that. And he's told Wilder that.

There's no reason to fight Whyte first. There's no reason to believe Hearn will follow thru on giving Wilder the next fight with Joshua. Hearn just doesn't want Joshua and Wilder to fight, because Wilder is really the only one who could KO Joshua.

And we all know that. Don't we?

 

You don't need to fight at 10 p.m. in Vegas.

They hold fights all day in Vegas. I've been to them. Larry Holmes used to defend his title in Vegas on Saturday afternoons. Most major sports in the U.S. take place on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

 

The problem with Parker is Andy Ruiz wasn't supposed to be a tough out. Neither was Hughie Fury. But they were tough for Parker because he's basically on their level. And many didn't even think he beat them when the decisions were announced.

Hughie Fury was offered a fight with Wilder back in 2016, and he turned it down. Andy Ruiz got a gift decision over Sergei Liakhovich and is calling out Chris Arreola these days, not any of the champs.

Ruiz and Fury aren't the guys you're supposed to win controversial decisions against. They're the guys who, if he was on the level of Joshua and Wilder - that you would expect Parker to blow out.

When he didn't, and Cojanu went 12 with him, too, his rep took a hit.

If Wilder and Joshua got a couple gift decisions over those guys, nobody would be touting them either.