Tuesday’s streaming announcement in New York saw Anthony Joshua belatedly unveiled as the new face of DAZN in the United States.
This move—which wasn’t on the cards before—transpired largely because Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn failed to land significant marquee names on the platform.
Joshua has now been drafted in, leaving behind his solid base on Showtime, which was ultimately pushing him to potential Pay-Per-View status, beginning with a fight against Deontay Wilder.
Promoter Hearn has put all his U.S eggs in the DAZN basket in his bid to crack America, and having Joshua on board was a must to make the brand stand out for their September launch.
It’s unclear how long Joshua’s deal with DAZN lasts and whether it’s a permanent fixture to stage the Briton off-PPV despite his potential pulling power as the unified champion of the world. This leaves rival Deontay Wilder to contemplate his next move.
Joshua stated the following when speaking to Sky Sports from the press gathering: “I’ve secured the date and the location, and I’ve listened to all the issues they’ve found within the contract. I’ve gotten rid of them. I’ve added all the good points, and my side has been signed.
“All we need to do is wait for Wilder’s ink to dry, and the fight is locked in. I don’t need to wait another two or three months to hear any more issues. I’ve done that. I’ve been dealing with them for the last few months.
“We’re here now. I’ve signed my side. All we need now is for Wilder to sign his side, and the fight is locked in an official.”
WBN understands that no contact has been made with Wilder’s representatives to resolve those outstanding differences. Joshua was facing the media and needed to keep his angle. However, several points need discussion, including how an undisputed unification with Wilder fits into the DAZN world.
Wilder is being primed to feature on Showtime Pay-Per-View against Joshua, while DAZN would solely show the fight on their streaming service – which is not the option previously planned.
The DAZN deal has changed the fight’s whole landscape, introducing a Mike Tyson-Lennox Lewis HBO versus Showtime angle but with a far more complicated outcome.
As Tyson and Lewis, like Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao later on, shared TV rights with their respective companies – it’s hard to see how Showtime PPV can work alongside a non-PPV streaming service.
Until this problem is solved and Joshua agrees to move back to Showtime for at least one of two Wilder fights, fans will be disappointed.
The only viable way the clash happens is with Joshua holding all the aces at Wembley and on DAZN, returning then handing control to Wilder, but only if he wins the first fight.
Once this is agreed upon between both parties, proper negotiations can kick off and possibly end in the fight everybody wants.
A fight with mandatory challenger Dominic Breazeale certainly doesn’t cut the mustard at the moment, so gaining special dispensation to drop down to cruiserweight until 2019 could be the way to go.
Facing the winner of the forthcoming World Boxing Super Series for four versions of the 200-pound crown would be something special for the ‘Bronze Bomber’ to sink his teeth into after admitting over the summer he wants to become a two-weight world champion.
“What’s up, boxing world. You know, I’ve just been sitting in my car thinking. Once I unify the heavyweight division, I’ve been thinking about moving down to the cruiserweight and taking over that division.
“There’s never been a heavyweight ever go down in weight. I mean, just for the fun of it, take over the cruiserweight division while maintaining the heavyweight division,” stated Wilder.
To become belt-laden at cruiserweight before tackling Joshua would be an unprecedented move for Wilder. It would give his career fresh meaning while the complicated details of a Joshua deal are worked out.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
