He is not. 
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we may see Joshua Usyk next but I don’t want to get my hopes up.
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I’m not sure you can really blame them tbh. These guys still make enough money fighting these bums that a potential loss in a high profile fight simply isn’t worth taking the risk.
I did. AJ avoided both those fights. I’m not saying that was his intention, but the politics of boxing. And he’ll still go on fighting nobodies because of it. It’s why they should have one belt per division.
@Calum that feature doesn’t work man. I demand a refund! 
The thing about a 50-50 split is the fights going to be so big and Fury will be the salesman creating a narative pretty much makes Fury worth 50-50 even if AJ is the bigger draw.
Then there’s the fact both will make less fighting other opponents. It could be both are building their brands so the eventual big fight is worth even more.
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Anyway credit to AJ I didn’t think he was capable of transforming his style to a mover and putting in such a disciplined performance.
How did he avoid the fight lol? Wilder is on record turning down $100m for a two fight deal to fight AJ and won’t earn anywhere close to that fighting anyone else. And Luis Ortiz is on record as turning down $7m to fight AJ (and then subsequently accepting $1.5m to fight Wilder again).
That’s not how boxing works. AJ just earned $85m fighting Andy Ruiz, there’s absolutely no problems with him earning huge money fighting whomever it is he fights. He earned $30m for the first fight too. These are sums guys like Fury and Wilder aren’t earning combined.
So just because Fury creates a narrative doesn’t mean he deserved an even 50-50 split against the cash cow who held 3 belts at the time.
Pacquiao didn’t even get a 50-50 split against Floyd and he’d established himself as the second biggest draw in boxing at the time.
Can you elaborate on how it is that a guy like AJ can earn that money when Wilder, Ortiz and Fury can’t even though they are better boxers?
How does it work out like that?
I suppose in one respect its a little like Pogba or Ozil being a much more commercially profitable than someone like de Bruyne, even though they arents as good footballers, don’t play for as good teams and don’t win as much stuff.
Actual talent doesn’t always dictate commercial success. AJ might not be as good as those other boxers, but he is much more popular, people are invested in him and want to see him fight, and are willing to pay to do so, more so than they are other boxers.
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It was a three fight deal, as it included the fight against Breazeale. I don’t know if it was a smart idea or not, but Wilder preferred to remain uncontracted and not tied down to Dazn.
The moment he signed up to Dazn, he would have known that a fight against Wilder had become even less likely (unless Wilder followed suit). I recall Canelo saying something similar about GGG, and that if he wanted a trilogy fight he would have to sign up with Dazn. So it seems to me that there are clearly contractual shenanigans involved here, and I find it unlikely that AJ and his team would have not been aware of this.
Gotcha, so as I thought it basically comes down to marketability and marketing.
Cheers for the explanation!
Yeah, and he was offered $80m for the two AJ fights and $20m for the Breazeale fights. But he made up some bullshit about wanting to be loyal to others and forging his own path. He didn’t even make $20m from fighting Breazeale and Ortiz so it’s clear as day he ducked the fight.
As for the latter part - AJ signing with DAZN didn’t block the fight and isn’t evidence of him ducking. If anything it made the fight significantly more profitable a prospect because of DAZN deep pockets. In boxing, it’s easy to make a fight when there’s money involved. It’s just egos that prevent it from happening.
AJ was ducked by:
Luis Ortiz, Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury in 2018/19 and it’s all in writing for people to see.
Right but he’s built to that and the Saudi money is what pushed this one into another strasphere.
The question is whether Hearn offered a reasonable offer to either fighter and if Hearn even wanted either fight with what we know about AJs earning potential and his somewhat fragile chin. Because Hearn knows full well that if either boxer has AJs number it’s the end of the money train.
They aren’t better boxers though. Wilder is a horrible fighter with outrageous power, which is his equaliser. And Ortiz is old with two failed drugs reads behind him (but probably the best pure boxer in the division).
Fury is the only enigma because he’s so heavily avoided real challenges (except for Wilder) since his comeback.
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Hearn did offer reasonable money to those guys. A 3 fight, $100m offer is very generous to Wilder given he barely banks $10m on his best night
I think being tied down to two fights against one fighter was the deciding factor, rather than the money.
Two fights, for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world earning $80m…
Not sure what the problem is there tbh
Because I don’t think money is the issue. If it was, he would have taken that deal because it’s hard to see him being offered any better.
I think he believes that he’ll starch AJ (which I find hard to disagree with), and doesn’t want to be contractually obliged to fight twice, when he could be setting up a fight with Uzyk or Fury. A two fight deal only makes sense from a boxing perspective if you think you could lose, and you want a guaranteed chance to regain your belts. Or because the opponent in question is the only one who can go toe to toe with you.
Aren’t those (direct) rematch clauses pretty common for Championship fights? I doubt Wilder doesn’t implement the same clause when he is fighting guys.
Finkel’s take on it below. AJs also turned down 50m for the fight in the past.
Essentially this is this generations Mayweather-Pacquaio or Lewis-Tyson. Wilder should be offered a percentage but Hearn isn’t doing a deal where he isn’t signed to matchroom on a fixed contract.