‘It’s a big payday’ – Deontay Wilder’s team open to Jake Paul fight after YouTube star’s shock talks with Anthony Joshua
DEONTAY WILDER’s team have refused to rule out a mega-money fight against Jake Paul.
Paul drew criticism in his last bout in November after bringing Mike Tyson out of retirement at the age of 58.
But still over 100 MILLION watched his eight-round points win on Netflix despite the controversy surrounding the fight for the ages.
Paul later held talks with Canelo Alvarez – but after a deal collapsed he called out former heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua.
Wilder’s manager Shelly Finkel voiced praise for the 11-1 American and would open the door for talks with Paul and the Bronze Bomber.
Finkel, who once managed Tyson, told SunSport: “The way I manage, I discuss everything with my client.
“So, I don’t think it’s fair to say no, even if I believe it’s a no, and I’ll say what I think.
“But that person at the end of the day, it’s his decision because it’s his life and career.
“So, you know, I might say, ‘Hey, this is a great opportunity. You may get laughed at thinking it’s a freak show or people might say, wow, this is interesting and you know it’s a big payday.’
“So of course I would.”
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Wilder is coming off consecutive defeats following a points loss to Joseph Parker in 2023 and a knockout to Zhilei Zhang last June.
But he now returns on June 27 in Wichita against Tyrrell Herndon, 37, who has a 24-5 record.
Finkel revealed Wilder underwent surgery for a right shoulder injury and refuses to give up hopes of fighting AJ at Wembley.
But Joshua, 35, has been in shock talks to fight Paul, 28, next year after being called out by the social media sensation.
And respected veteran Finkel said: “There’s all kinds of things going on with Jake.
“Jake, within his sphere, he really knows what is good for him and not for him, and the fight with Tyson was brilliant.
“It may not have been exactly what every fan wanted. It kept Jake Paul winning and at the forefront, it was bigger than the NFL games on Netflix.
“Canelo would have been a very big fight. But it wasn’t meant to be.”