Eddie Hearn cheekily suggested Deontay Wilder could be scared to fight Anthony Joshua after his stunning knockout of Luis Ortiz.
The ‘Bronze Bomber’ was arguably yet to win a single round of their heavyweight title rematch at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday night, untilhe produced a piledriver of a right hand which poleaxed the Cubanin the seventh.
Wilder was seemingly being outboxed until the finish, but later insisted he needs just two seconds to end a fight whilst his opponent must be perfect for 36 minutes.
The 34-year-old revealed he wanted to take on Tyson Fury in the first half of 2020, before a unification fight against either Joshua or Andy Ruiz Jr.
But Matchroom Boxing director Hearn suggested Wilder, who believes Ruiz Jr will win the rematch in Saudi Arabia, will want his compatriot to win instead of facing the Brit.
He toldiFL TV: “He struggled to say it, didn’t he? ‘I want the winner of ….Ruiz and the other guy’.
“As refreshing as it is in a long time, what’s next after Andy Ruiz is totally irrelevant right now.
“It’s just about trying to beat Andy Ruiz. I think Joshua against Wilder is the most thrilling fight in world boxing.
“Both guys have been hurt before, both guys punch hard and both guys are fast. It’s all irrelevant unless Joshua can beat Andy Ruiz.”
Wilder is co-managed by Shelly Finkel, who revealed during fight week the former world heavyweight champion and his team rejected a$50million offer to fight in the summer of 2018.
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It meant Wilder faced off against Fury instead and the pair are expected to fight again in February 2020.
The ‘Gypsy King’ was left on his back twice in the December 2018 fight, with many people still believing a draw was an incredulous result.
But that is what makes the heavyweight division so enticing, according to Hearn.
“That’s why the division is so exciting. You can have any fight going any way you want,” he said.
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“[Wilder is] very, very limited as a fighter skill wise, but he has this freakish power that can turn your lights off at any time.
“That’s why he’s so exciting, Deontay Wilder. He’s vulnerable, he can get beaten by anybody, but if he hits you on the chin, you’re bang in trouble.”
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