Former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world Lennox Lewis has been critical of his fellow countryman and modern-day heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua for not pursuing the fight with WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder next up.
If there’s anything more that annoys boxing fans and casual sports fans in general, it’s waiting and waiting for the big fights to happen.
Remember the Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight taking the best part of five years to make and, when it finally did happen, it was one of the anti-climaxes of the century?
We’re living in a boxing era now where big fights are being made thick and fast and for the Joshua vs Wilder fight to be offered by Eddie Hearn all the way in April of 2019, nearly a year away from now, just doesn’t wash with fans hungry to see the best fight the best – when they want to see them fight.
Indeed, Lennox Lewis had critical remarks on the situation for Joshua – saying he changed his tune:
My thoughts on @anthonyfjoshua and @BronzeBomber situation are that when i was champ, I wanted to face the best to show the world who’s the best. Period. I’ve heard them both speak on it but I’ve also seen that AJ has changed his tune. This isn’t a 2yr down the line thing!
— Lennox Lewis (@LennoxLewis) June 28, 2018
Promoters have their own interest in making most money they can but fighters also carry weight in who they fight. If both sides wanted this fight, it would be happening. End of story. AJ taking povetkin fight first isn’t a deal breaker 4Wilder tho. Just don’t like the 2yr talk!
— Lennox Lewis (@LennoxLewis) June 28, 2018
Im not in on all the details of #JoshuaWilder negotiations but when I wanted to fight tyson before retiring, the only thing keeping that fight away was the networks. I told my team and HBO to make it happen… end of story. I don’t want to hear about anything else!
— Lennox Lewis (@LennoxLewis) June 28, 2018
They way I see it AJ is the man. He gets to choose time and place for first fight. I’d make Wilder come to me also… but from what I see from Wilder, he’s willing to… and this is same attitude i would have. When the HW division finally has a pulse, we need action not talk!
— Lennox Lewis (@LennoxLewis) June 28, 2018
It’s hard to disagree with the above, in fairness.
