Tony Bellew puts Wilder in his place

Words of wisdom in article from Tony Bellew;

"No one’s to blame for this fight not happening, I just think it’s absolutely ridiculous what Deontay Wilder’s been fed by his team. You can’t say ‘Listen, I’m going to give you $50million if you sign this blank piece of paper’. That’s insane, basically signing your career over. Anthony Joshua’s whole career is worth more than $50m. I think Wilder is fooling no one, it’s clear it was a publicity stunt. I do think he wants the fight, but you have to look at all this in context. How much has Wilder made in his career? His highest ever purse was actually a fall through of a purse bid.

I don’t understand what the big debate is here. I understand he’s said it’s chump change, but he has to understand he is the B-side in this fight. Whatever you describe this, Deontay Wilder is the B-side. No one knows who he is, he’s got one belt and fought absolutely nobody in 40 pro fights. The best win in his career was against Bermane Stiverne and the second fight was a one-round blowout. After that it’s Luis Ortiz. Let’s be honest, Ortiz was 90 years old when he fought Wilder. In my opinion, I’ve got a better record at heavyweight than Wilder. I fought a former heavyweight world champion twice. Wilder has to understand he is the B-side. He’s the man with on belt and no stand-out victories on his resume. Joshua has three belts, he is the best heavyweight in the world, he’s been in bigger fights. You have to ask yourself this question, why didn’t Wilder chase Wladimir Klitschko for a unification fight? He’s great on social media and does these great little videos, talking nonsense. He talks like he’s still on the streets.

He’s supposed to the WBC heavyweight champion of the world. He’s supposed to be the face of boxing in America. He’s not even the face of his city. No one knows him, it’s a sham of a job that’s been done for him on the promotional front. He should be a mega-star. This is a man who wears the same belt as Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson once did, and yet nobody knows him. His country doesn’t back him. The whole situation is an absolute mess. One thing I can say is Joshua wants the fight. Wilder can come up with all the stupid things he likes, he’s full of it. If you have $50m, then show proof of funds. Or send over the contract. Hearn sent it nearly two weeks ago and had no response. And yet, as soon as the WBA ordered Joshua to face Povetkin and Hearn said they were in talks, the next day he had a response from Wilder saying AJ has pulled out to fight Povetkin. But, you couldn’t send a response to the contract that was sent two weeks ago? It’s all a mess. The fight will be bigger next year, but it won’t be bigger if you’ve got a clown thinking he’s the boss of the situation. The minute Wilder accepts that he’s the B-side then the easier the negotiations will be. Wilder is whining because he needs to convince the public he tried to make the fight happen. Whereas Joshua has full confidence in himself and his team.

He wants the fight to happen, but if it doesn’t happen it’s not because of him. There’s only one contract on offer here and it’s come from Matchroom Promotions. There’s been no contract offer to Joshua, just a blank piece of paper with a number on it. Hearn told me it was very scripted and the offer came directly from Wilder’s personal email. But Wilder isn’t worth $20m never-mind $50m. How can a man put up $50m when he simply doesn’t have it? It’s scripted. I’m a fan of Wilder. As a fighter, he’s brilliant. He does what it says on the tin, he’s wild and unpredictable. He’s powerful, but he’s also vulnerable and that makes him even more exciting. But saying that, he’s got to understand he’s the second best heavyweight in the world and the B-side. Joshua is the best heavyweight in the world. Who manages Wilder? Is it Shelly Finkel? Is Lou DiBella his promoter? Is Finkel his advisor? There’s so many people involved. With AJ, you speak to Hearn.

If you want AJ’s opinion, you speak to Freddie Cunningham. Everything is very transparent when you’re dealing with Matchroom. I’ve dealt with loads of companies, promoters and managers at every end of the earth. Everything with Matchroom is transparent. They show where you where the funds are coming from. They tell you in your contract when and what you will be paid. Everything is transparent, nothing in America is done like that. We are so much better off here in the UK. It’s no coincidence we can sell out 90,000-seater stadiums. The home of boxing is now the UK. Al Haymon is a fantastic adviser, but he always wants the cards on his side of the table, he wants the odds stacked in his fighter’s favour.

He has to understand he won’t get that with AJ-Wilder. He gave up his cards when Wilder was going to Russia to fight Alexander Povetkin, and he gave them up for $7.15m. It’s sad. Mine and David Haye’s combined purse bid doubles that. It’s insane and puts things into perspective. Joshua has had 21 fights, Wilder has had 40 pro fights. Joshua has achieved more in 20 than Wilder has in 40. Those are the facts. One man has three world titles and the other has one. If he’s the most feared heavyweight in the world, why have you only got one belt? Why haven’t you fought anyone? People now understand how good Joshua’s win over Dillian Whyte was because he’s gone on to be a genuine contender. Don’t get me wrong, Charles Martin is no one special. I would beat him. But, Whyte is a solid heavyweight who tore Lucas Browne to pieces. His fight with Joseph Parker is a 50/50 fight." - Tony Bellew

 

https://metro.co.uk/2018/06/29/tony...poor-mans-anthony-joshua-7668934/?ito=cbshare