There is ‘absolutely no doubt’ Joshua will fight Wilder in 2018 –Hearn

Promoter Eddie Hearn is certain that Nigerian-born British heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua will face Deontay Wilder in a heavyweight unification bout in 2018.

Wilder, after knocking out Bermane Stiverne last weekend to retain his WBC title, called out IBF and WBA champion, Joshua for a match to prove he’s ‘the best.’

But Hearn has assured that the fight will take place next year even though he did not clarify if it would be Joshua’s next fight or a summer bout.

“It’s going to happen in 2018, absolutely no question,” Hearn said after emerging from a meeting with Wilder’s team on Thursday.

“You can’t get away with not making fights any more because when you do you wake up to a million tweets.”

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Hearn, who met with Wilder’s promoter in the USA, urged the American to keep his financial demands realistic.

“We need middle ground between reality and fantasy,” said Hearn. “If we can, I don’t see problems making the fight.”

He added: “Unfortunately, Anthony has to overpay opponents.. If we offered Deontay the correct purse for this fight it would never happen because he would think it was disrespectful.

“So we have to overpay him to make it happen. And we have to give him respect because he’s a great fighter, a great champion, really exciting, a great self promoter.”

Should the fight take place next, the winner would hold three of the four major titles in the heavyweight division, with Joseph Parker in possession of the WBO belt.

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