Nigerian-born British heavyweight boxing champions of the world, Anthony Olaseni Olaufemi Joshua has been rated more of a businessman than a sports zealot, hence his reluctance to take up a unification fight with American rival, Deontay Wilder.
This is the startling verdict of renowned boxing trainer, Ben Davison, who sports247.ng can reveal is holding Joshua’s camp responsible for the fight against Wilder failing to materialise thus far.
Davision went on to predict that Joshua and his management team will need to give Wilder and fellow-Brit, Tyson Fury a 50-50 deal if they wish to make either of those fights happen.
Davison, who trains former IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion, Fury (27-0-1, 19 KOs), added that Joshua and his promoter would need to decide whether they want to look at the fights in terms of a business.
Davison feels Joshua could end his career missing out on the Wilder fight just as Lennox Lewis and Riddick Bowe retired without facing each other.
He added: “Their problem in making the fight is they’re looking at it too much as a business fight.
“It depends on what your goal is. If your goal is to make as much money as possible, then yeah, negotiate it out.
“Fight to the death over the last few percents, whatever it is. In my eyes, if you want to make the fight, it’s 50-50.
“If two champions are coming together. It’s 50-50 if you want to make that fight because you will end up where we may never see that fight.
“I believe Joshua wants that fight, but I believe his team’s views will say to him, ‘Okay, this is what you’re worth, and this is what Wilder’s worth.
“If this fight generates this, you should earn this amount.’ Okay, is it just business, because if it is, no problem.
“Just like what we did with Lennox Lewis and Riddick Bowe. You may never get the fight.
“It’s about credibility and status. If he wants a fight against the other two, it’s going to have to be 50-50, because neither of them is going to take it.
“No one wants to give an inch. It might be different if he were making Floyd Mayweather money.
“He doesn’t make Floyd Mayweather money. If he wants to make that fight [against Wilder], it’s 50-50.
“He [Joshua] needs to stop looking at this as a business, and stop arguing out percentages, this man’s worth and that man’s worth.”
