Espinoza: Hearn Doesn’t Want Joshua-Wilder

Showtime executive Stephen Espinoza and Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn, promoter for unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, have been at a war of words.

The two have traded barbs across the media, as well as social media, when it comes to negotiations for a long-awaited undisputed title showdown between Joshua and WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.

Espinoza, looking back on the situation, feels he could have handled it all better, feeling Hearn lives in his own world. He blames Hearn and Matchroom as the reason why the boxing world hasn’t seen Joshua vs. Wilder yet.

“In retrospect, I should have stayed out of it,” Espinoza told Boxing Scene. “It’s really hard to have a discussion with someone who has no regards for the truth. You want to hang your hat that you received a detail three-page document with all the fight terms and you want to say it’s not a contract because it did not have a signature line?

“Ok point remains, they got a very detailed summary of all fight terms. Sky as [the] broadcaster in [the] UK and all the requirements of the fight. There was basically radio silence after that.”

Espinoza feels if it were up to the fighters alone, a Joshua-Wilder undisputed heavyweight title bout would be a done deal by this point. But, Espinoza says, because Hearn and Matchroom don’t want the fight to happen yet, as well as Matchroom’s commitment to DAZN, it hasn’t.

The point is Joshua was offered the biggest heavyweight purse in the sport and turned it down. It made me wonder if Matchroom wants the fight to happen. I don’t wonder if Joshua wants the fight to happen. I believe if it was up to him, he would be in the ring immediately. I know for a fact Deontay Wilder would have already done the fight if it was up to him.