IBO Boxing Honesty and Integrity
By Scoop Malinowski
The boxing world learned some astonishing news recently – that Deontay Wilder rejected a $120,000,000, four fight deal to fight two tomato cans and two heavyweight unification fights with Anthony Joshua. Instead, Wilder will fight another Al Haymon patsy Dominic Brezeale for an undisclosed amount which can’t be much more than the approximate $2,000,000 he’s been earning lately for his low-drawing, mediocre selling fights.
Wilder avoided not only huge money, but the opportunity to earn even more additional colossal sums of money later if he can beat Joshua.
Eddie Hearn, the promoter of Joshua, has done everything possible to try to lure Wilder to fight Joshua, to produce the event the public and media have been clamoring for.
One figure who has been curiously silent on the development of Hearn offering Wilder $120,000,000 is former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, who has been equally mysteriously critical of Hearn and Joshua but consistently defensive of Wilder and Haymon.
Lewis has stated previously and repeatedly that Joshua should do more to make the fight with Wilder, while never pushing any blame or criticism on Wilder or Haymon. Many speculate that Lewis is forbidden to criticize Wilder and Haymon because he’s now a PBC TV boxing analyst, in effect working for Haymon. And to dare to criticize any actions by Haymon or his number one cash cow Wilder would put his job in jeopardy.
Lewis had been actively blaming Joshua and Hearn until the $120,000,000 offer was made to Wilder. Since then, Lewis has been silent on the matter.
He has not said anything publicly about Joshua and Hearn’s massive offer, nor has he questioned or criticized Wilder and Haymon for rejecting it.
It’s almost as if Lewis could be a Haymon media manipulation shill, an undercover operative using his respected credibility to sway public opinion towards Wilder and against Joshua.
Now that Wilder ran away from Joshua and the $120,000,000 and Lewis has been silent, we have to wonder about some things. Did Lewis knowingly take Wilder’s side because it’s more profitable for him to do so, as it will extend his TV work for PBC fights on Fox? Lewis recently showed photos on social media of his new Range Rover…could this vehicle have been a reward from Haymon for defending Wilder and criticizing Joshua and Hearn? Of did Lewis purchase the new Range Rover on his own?
Lewis has a history of selling himself out to the highest bidder in the past. Back in the early 2000s Lewis vacated the IBF belt so that Don King could have it. The vacated IBF title was then contested by Chris Byrd and Evander Holyfield in December 2002, both fighters were controlled by Don King. It’s a known and documented fact that Lewis, in essence, sold the IBF belt to Don King for $1,000,000 and a Range Rover.
So is it possible that Lennox Lewis is selling his credible opinions on Wilder and Joshua to Al Haymon for a sum of money and a Range Rover?
As we know in boxing, ANYTHING is possible.
