Ring Observer Boxing by Scoop Malinowski
By Scoop Malinowski
Deontay Wilder and his team of protectors recently rejected a four fight, $120,000,000 offer from promoter Eddie Hearn to fight a set up patsy for $20,000,000, Anthony Joshua twice for $40,000,000 each and then another patsy set up for another $20,000,000.
On the surface, the decision by Wilder makes no sense at all. Wilder only earns around $2,000,000 a fight because his fights don’t draw major crowds or attract big TV ratings. Wilder is still far from a household name, despite being 33 years old and holding a 40-0-1 record with 38 knockouts.
The decision to walk away from $120,000,000 makes even less sense when you consider that if Wilder loses his next fight to Dominic Breazeale or any future fights, that offer is gone as Wilder losing his WBC belt would destroy his prestige and his negotiating leverage.
Wilder’s advisors Shelly Finkel and Al Haymon have been exceedingly careful with their franchise hope so you have to wonder how could they risk Wilder losing to Breazeale or Luis Ortiz for $2,000,000 which would blow up their hopes for the $120,000,000.
There is only one logical conclusion: That Haymon and Finkel have secret plans to orchestrate and choreograph all of Wilder’s “fights” as wins until they decide to cash out against Joshua. Or they hope Joshua loses and then they can pretend that Wilder was the best all along and at that point they can then call (they hope) all the shots in the heavyweight division and make everyone cater to their demands.
But the key strategy to managing Wilder – with that $120,000,000 carrot stick dangling behind them – is to make 100% sure Wilder never loses. Because one loss destroys Wilder’s platform, leverage, drawing power, prestige, and totally reduces that $120,000,000 to the paltry purses Wilder now earns for his fights on Showtime network. Wilder is worth NOTHING without that WBC belt.
Is it possible Al Haymon, Shelly Finkel, Showtime network will conspire to fix all of Wilder’s future fights until they decide to cash out against Joshua?
All signs and all moves made by the Wilder team suggest so.
Remember, in boxing, anything is possible. And truth is stranger than fiction.
If America no longer produces high quality, electrifying boxing champions like it used to, what’s the next best thing? To manufacture a counterfeit, fraud, pretender, hoax WWF heavyweight champ…in essence an actor along the lines of Mr T., Carl Weathers or Hulk Hogan.
Could Deontay Wilder be nothing but a fraud actor masquerading himself as a phony heavyweight champ, knowingly protected by Haymon, Finkel and his loyal TV network which has hopes to one day profit handsomely if they can ever find a way to successfully sell Wilder to the masses?
Only a total protected fraud, coward, hoax, lousy actor would walk away from $120,000,000.
