Eddie Hearn Thinks Wilder vs Ortiz 2 Is “Embarassing”

The back and forth continues, as promoter Eddie Hearn has made it known that he looks askance at the Tuesday announcement that Deontay Wilder will be fighting Luis Ortiz next, sometime in September.

Speaking to videographer Kugan Cassius, the British deal-maker made it clear that he's not surprised, or enthused, about the news that Wilder will next rematch the Cuban. He shared that he thought Wilder made this a rush-job news dump after seeing Anthony Joshua go on ESPN and state that he wants Wilder to sit down with him, so they can agree to terms for a fight.

“I told you,” said Hearn. He predicted, he said, that Wilder would not be looking to step to the line versus AJ. “It's embarrassing…We can't do anything about people who don't want to fight.”

“They don't want the fight,” he said, bottom line. He said that he thought this might happen, when Ortiz was offered $7 million to sub in for Jarrell Miller versus AJ…and turned it down.

He pivoted, and said that Team AJ must concentrate on the task at hand, being Andy Ruiz, at MSG. Let's let Wilder do the Ortiz fight, and an Adam Kownacki scrap, then maybe they can circle back to try and make Wilder vs AJ.

Hearn then needled again, jabbing at Wilder for what he deems a hasty announcement.

He said he can't be optimistic that Wilder v AJ will occur in 2020, he told the questioner. “He has the power to say to these guys that, no, ‘I'm gonna do the fight that's gonna make an incredible amount of money and I'm gonna do a fight that the public wants. Instead, he comes out and says, “I'm gonna right the wrong of the Ortiz fight….Anyway.” He said the fight is an OK fight, but yeah, Ortiz is getting old.

Why not steer toward AJ, he noted. Maybe they'd look harder at making AJ versus Tyson Fury…but there are mandatories to deal with, maybe Dillian Whyte.

Me, I say that nobody should be getting their blood boiling…These fights will not happen on the timeline that is embraced by people who want them sooner rather than later.

Bet “later,” my friends.