Hearn Attacks Wilder’s Team
Following Deontay Wilder’s win over Luis Ortiz at Barclays Center, Wilder’s manager, Shelly Finkel claimed that Eddie Hearn had not spoken to him since November about a Wilder- Anthony Joshua fight.
And now in an interview with Boxing Scene, Hearn claims there is a good reason he hasn’t contacted Finkel, its because he won’t make a fight with him.
“The more people talk about me the better. The two people there, you got Lou DiBella – the events coordinator for Al Haymon. And you got ‘Shirley Winkel.’ Shirley Winkel is so old school. My old man is old school and then you have Shirley Winkel and people like that. I’m not going to make this fight with Shirley Winkel, I’m going to make this fight with Al Haymon and Luis DeCubas, who is someone that works with Al, and me and him make fights like [snaps fingers]. We’re on a wave length. I can’t be on a wave length with Shirley Winkel,” Hearn told BoxingScene.com’s Declan Taylor.
“I need to be working with people who understand the game now, not 30 years ago. And people who understand how to make fights quickly… like Luis DeCubas and people like that. So when [Finkel] pulls up an email.. and who does that, it’s like a bitch move anyway. The reason he pulled out that email is because he met with my old man, because I told my old man ‘I can’t meet with Shirley Winkel, you meet him.'”
Hearn’s father did meet with Finkel, but the second generation promoter claims it was more of a “back in my day” conversation, and not anything substantial. Hearn also mentioned that after an email between Hearn and Finkel back in November, is when Wilder made his demand of 50% or nothing, which turned Hearn off to any deal with Finkel.
” So all of my conversations are now with Al Haymon and his team – not Shirley Winkel. And they won’t be with Shirley Winkel, because I want to make the fight.
“And Lou DiBella… people have to understand that this is all great for the fight, but people take this so personally. Lou, he just goes mad. I’m giving Lou great profile – I’m making him so relevant right now – so just go with it.”