Home Boxing News Eddie Hearn to make big play for Deontay Wilder vs Dillian Whyte...

Eddie Hearn to make big play for Deontay Wilder vs Dillian Whyte in New York

Promoter Eddie Hearn is preparing to offer WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder 40-0 (39) a £6m payday to defend his title against number one contender Dillian Whyte 24-1 (17) in New York after the “Body Snatcher” survived a twelfth round knockdown to win on points against former WBO champion Joseph Parker 24-2 (18) of New Zealand at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday night.

Just last month Hearn failed to negotiate a fight between Wilder and England’s IBF, WBA and WBO champion Anthony Joshua 21-0 (20), with both sides casting aspersions about why the fight fell through.

But the Matchroom Boxing boss remains convinced he has an offer ready for the 6-foot-7 American that will be too good to refuse.

“I would like Dillian Whyte to fight Wilder,” said Hearn. “Wilder hasn’t got an opponent for November, and Dillian will fight in November or December.

“Wilder seems to be worried about coming to the UK so we will do it in Brooklyn. It will make fortunes for the pair of them. They are painful people to deal with. But why wouldn’t he fight Dillian Whyte?

“He must look at that last round and think, ‘Yeah’. Without that last round he probably thinks, ‘He’s a handful’ but that last round… Wilder is a huge puncher so he will think it’s an easy fight and he gets $7m or $8m for it.”

Hearn had previously tried to negotiate the fight but is prepared to up his offer substantially this time around.

“We offered them $3m plus US TV, then $4m plus US TV, so that’s $5m. I’d probably go up to $7m or $8m for Deontay Wilder to fight Dillian Whyte now. I’ll be making Wilder an offer this week for Dillian Whyte again,” he said.

Brixton’s Whyte, 30, had his hands full with Parker in the first half of their bout, but was helped along by a bogus knockdown call in the second that replays show was from a head clash. In the ninth a jarring left hook from Whyte sent Parker to the canvas for the first time in his career.

But it was the twelfth and final round that had the crowd on their feet as Parker dropped the hometown hero with a big right hand late in the frame that forced Whyte to clinch until the bell, surviving to win by scores of 113-112, 115-110 and 114-111.

Despite the close scores, Hearn said he believes that Whyte won definitively.

“Dillian has just beaten Parker convincingly,” Hearn said. “He put him down and it was only the end that made everyone go, ‘Oh wow’.

“I thought he was in control of the fight, much heavier hands, he drained the energy of Parker.”