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Sports News of Thursday, 20 October 2022

Source: www.punchng.com

Finkel tips Wilder, Joshua fight to sell out

Deontay Wilder’s manager Shelly Finkel believes that a potential Anthony Joshua fight with his client is one of the biggest fights and will sell out the 80,000 tickets at Wembley Stadium.

The Bronze Bomber made a spectacular return to the ring on Saturday, knocking out Robert Helenius in one round at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Wilder is now expected to take on Andy Ruiz Jr to qualify for a shot at Tyson Fury’s WBC heavyweight strap, but is open to other options.

Joshua is among his top potential matches having recently branded the bout as the ‘biggest fight in the world’. Over the years, there have been multiple attempts to make it happen, however, the fight is yet to come to fruition.

Finkel is hoping to change that and has expressed a great deal of interest in the exciting alternative.

“We said at the press conference it depends what surfaces this week. Whether it be Oleksandr Usyk, or (Eddie) Hearn reaching out. It’s funny with Eddie, he made all these big statements before, ‘Oh, I tried and I tried, Shelly doesn’t want to talk to me’,” Finkel told The Sun.

“I said I would talk to him, but after the fight, because that is when it makes sense, that is what the reality is. I always said, there was no reason to have spoken before the fight, but we’re always willing to talk to him.

“I was asked if they offered the right deal, would we do the fight in the UK? Of course. Financially, it could be Saudi Arabia or another country, but it really comes down to them. I believe the fight between Deontay and Joshua will do 80,000 at Wembley.

“Two or three years ago, when Joshua and us did not make the fight, he had options and he was on top of the world. Right now, he doesn’t have many options and if Fury fights Usyk, the only real big fight out there for Joshua is us. But it’s up to them.

“The important thing, without getting into a big dialogue with Eddie, was to wait until after the fight and then decide. If Deontay lost, there would be no fight, but now we’ll see, the fight is as enormous as ever.

“Ideally (Wilder should) come back in the spring, like March. The preference would be probably Usyk, Joshua or Ruiz. And then some scenario whoever the first fight was, then the second fight we’d do that, I wouldn’t assume three fights but two.”

Nigerians have warned Joshua against facing Wilder, following rumours of the potential bout, as fans believe the British -Nigerian doesn’t stand a chance against the American, who claimed to have traced his roots to Edo State.