THE fight so many are talking about, Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko is inching closer.
Promoter Eddie Hearn told Boxing News, โIโm speaking to Bernd [Boente, head of the Klitschko management group] a couple of times every day. Everybody wants the fight.โ
But Joshuaโs team to expect him to earn a certain figure for taking on the former champion. โThereโs a number that we feel Joshua should achieve in that fight. [Due to the risk], also the size of the fight, in terms of what heโs earning at the moment as well. If youโre going to have a fight like that, thereโs got to be rewards. Joshuaโs champion, Klitschkoโs challenger, even if itโs for more belts. But of course Klitschko is a huge name. But we canโt really worry about all that stuff, we just need that number,โ Hearn said. โItโs not a ridiculous number, itโs a number that weโre quite close to. Thereโs just a few things that have got to happen to get there and itโs whether they can be conceded or whether they can be achieved.
โIf youโre going to earn X to fight [Joseph] Parker or 3 X to fight Klitschko, how much more difficult is the Klitschko fight?โ
Joshua, the reigning IBF champion, likes the idea of taking on Klitschko. โItโs more me and the management team saying this is what this fight is worth,โ the promoter continued. โHeโs like if you think itโs the right deal, weโll take it. Thatโs his mentality.โ
Itโs an unclear as yet whether fighting Klitschko could be a title unification, with Tyson Fury, who holds the WBO and WBA belts, out of action for the time being. โIโm sure Klitschko and Joseph Parker and Andy Ruiz and Luis Ortiz and Alexander Ustinov and Fres Oquendo and David Haye are all calling the WBA saying what is happening, the WBO what is happening. But Iโm not really interested in those belts until we find out if weโve got a deal or not,โ Hearn said.
โEverybodyโs got different rules. The WBAโs got a recess rule, I believe after 12 months no defence put the champion in recess or strip him completely and then come back when youโre ready. I think the WBO has the Interim thing where itโs a real messโฆBut that doesnโt really appeal to anyone.โ
Hearn expects Anthonyโs next fight to be confirmed soon. It will take place in Manchester, though it could be nudged back two weeks to December 10, though most likely he will fight on November 26 at the Manchester Arena against an opponent to be confirmed.
The announcement โhas to be next weekโ Hearn said. He continued, โThere is December 10 at the Manchester Arena as well, which would give us another two weeks past November 26. We tried to get the Millennium Stadium, itโs definitely Manchester. It has to be Manchester.”
โWeโll always find an opponent,โ Hearn adds, โbut itโs whether itโs the one that is the one we really want. You pay the money, you get anyone. But we just like to pay the right money thatโs all.โ