Eddie Hearn says he wants Deontay Wilder to face his fighter, Dave Allen, next, not Anthony Joshua. Hearn likes the idea of the former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (44-4-1, 43 KOs) fighting Allen (24-7-2, 19 KOs).
Wilder, 39, defeated Tyrrell Anthony Herndon by a seventh-round knockout last Friday night in Wichita, Kansas. He didn’t look like the vintage ‘Bronze Bomber’ that fans had remembered from his best years in the sport between 2015 and 2018. Deontay’s bazooka-like right-hand power was gone, and he was reduced to mostly using his left for his power punching.
Finkel Unlikely to Accept Allen Fight
It’s doubtful that Deontay’s manager, Shelly Finkel, will agree to a fight with Dave Allen. It’s too high-risk and low-reward, offering little in return. Unless Turki Alalshikh wants to offer Wilder a bundle, he’s NOT fighting Dave Allen in this lifetime.
If Hearn wants to hustle fights for Allen to raise his stock, he’s going to need to look in a different direction. He should try asking Top Rank if they’d be interested in matching their contenders Richard Torrez Jr. or Jared Anderson against Allen. I can’t see Allen beating either, but at least he’d be getting a good opponent to show the world that he’s trying to raise his stock. Beating Johnny Fisher was a good start, but he doesn’t count because he’s a domestic-level fighter. Let’s see what Dave Allen can do against Torrez Jr. or Anderson.
Hearn on Wilder’s Top 5 Status
“Having Deontay Wilder around is fantastic. When you talk about the heavyweight division, he’s definitely one of the top 10, probably even top 5,” said Eddie Hearn to talkSport Boxing. “Hopefully, he’s got his confidence back. Our guy, Dave Allen, wants to jump in there with him. That works.”
It sounds like Hearn is blowing smoke up Deontay’s backside, trying to butter him up with compliments so he’ll want to fight Allen. Let’s get this straight. Wilder is NOT a top 5 contender at this point. Even the bottom 15-ranked contenders would likely beat Wilder without any problems.
Deontay Seeks Joshua, Not Allen
Wilder would likely be insulted if Hearn tries to set up a fight between him and Allen, 33, because this is not the one he wants from his Matchroom stable. He would want Anthony Joshua for a mega-payday. In contrast, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ Wilder would be getting table scraps for a fight with Allen.
“It looks like Wilder is looking to have a few fights just to get back in, and Dave might be the guy, and he might be the guy for the big banana skin. If he goes out and beats TKV [Jeamie Tshikeva], he’s really going to put himself in for Wilder,” said Hearn.
It’s entirely unrealistic for Hearn to push a Wilder vs Allen fight. If he doesn’t want to try and match Allen against a top-tier heavyweight, he should target other British-level fighters, like Dillian Whyte and Dereck Chisora. Maybe one of those two might be interested in fighting Allen if Hearn pays them enough.
Last Updated on 07/03/2025
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