EDDIE HEARN has revealed he is in ongoing talks with Deontay Wilder’s manager over a fight with Anthony Joshua next year.
Wilder’s Hall of Fame manager Shelly Finkel welcomed discussions with Hearn in an interview with SunSport.
Mark Robinson Matchroom BoxingAnthony Joshua pictured with promoter Eddie Hearn[/caption]
AFP or licensorsBoxing manager Shelly Finkel with Deontay Wilder in 2018[/caption]
And despite previous animosity with the pair, they have now started talking again over a potential heavyweight super-fight next year.
Hearn told iD Boxing: “I’ve had a couple of very nice conversations with Shelly recently.
“I think we all made mistakes last time and I’m not going to make that mistake again.
“So I’m saying nothing but the communication lines and clear and open, which is great news for everybody.
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“I don’t know what’s next but what I can tell you is, the relationship and communication is good enough to have hope.”
Joshua and Wilder failed to agree terms for what at the time would have been an undisputed fight between a pair of then-unbeaten champions.
The verbal back and forth between the opposing teams also soured the relationship to an almost unsavable degree.
But after recent talks, Hearn said: “First things first, there’s a lot of stuff that needed to be cleared up between the two of us.
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“I made mistakes, I was arrogant, I think he made mistakes, maybe he said some things.
“I think we got to a point, he doesn’t need to grow up because he’s been in the game a long time.
“I probably did need to grow up a little bit and I think hand on heart, I was probably sometimes speaking with my heart and my b****s rather than my brain.”
Joshua, 33, is set to return in early 2023 after taking time off following consecutive points defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, 35.
Meanwhile Wilder, 37, knocked out Robert Helenius, 38, in round one of his October comeback fight.
Hearn lined up AJ to rematch Dillian Whyte, 34, who he knocked out in 2015, for his first fight back.
But Finkel called on Joshua’s camp to look in Wilder’s direction instead.
Getty Images – GettyAnthony Joshua speaking with Shelly Finkel in 2017[/caption]