“I wasn’t impressed with Wilder, but I was more impressed than I thought,” Hearn said to Fight Hub TV in his post-fight interview.
Hearn acknowledged improvement, then immediately capped it. By saying he was “more impressed than I thought,” he’s essentially admitting his expectations for Wilder were at rock bottom.
Hearn is definitely holding back. If he goes full analyst and trashes the performance, he kills the pay-per-view value of a potential Joshua vs. Wilder fight. By keeping it to “not impressed,” he maintains a shred of dignity for the matchup while internally likely feeling very confident that AJ handles this version of Wilder with ease.
He’s basically saying Wilder is good enough to be a big-name opponent, but no longer good enough to be a true threat to the top tier.
One of the weirder moments last night was Wilder appearing to take pity on Chisora in the 9th round, even telling him to “live for his kids.” While that’s noble on a human level, it’s the opposite of what Hearn needs to sell a fight against Joshua.
Hearn needs the “Bronze Bomber,” the guy who wants to “see a body” in the ring. A “compassionate” Wilder who hesitates to pull the trigger is much harder to market as a threat to AJ.
Wilder’s performance wasn’t exactly vintage. He looked hesitant, and his timing was off for large stretches. While he still possesses that equalizer in his right hand, the ability to set it up against world-class opposition seems to be fading.
Hearn knows that if he makes this fight now, Joshua is a massive favorite. If the fans don’t believe Wilder can win, the Pay-Per-View numbers won’t hit the heights Hearn needs to justify the massive purses both men would demand.
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