Eddie Hearn is keeping a close eye on Deontay Wilder’s upcoming return to the ring amid links to the Anthony Joshua fight, but do fans still want to see it?
Wilder, the former WBC Heavyweight Champion, is set to face Tyrrell Herndon on June 27. He looks to bounce back from consecutive losses to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang in his last fight. Wilder’s last victory came in 2022 against Robert Helenius, but since then, questions have emerged about whether he remains the same fighter after his trilogy with Tyson Fury. He has managed just one win in his last four outings under the guidance of trainer Malik Scott. Scott has shut down any talk of retirement, insisting that a clash with Joshua remains in their sights. Hearn echoed those sentiments, hoping Wilder ‘can start looking good again.’
“But hopefully he can win well and, you know, we’d signed to fight Deontay Wilder, we were announcing it an hour in Saudi Arabia; he lost to Joseph Parker… Of he keeps winning maybe people can talk about [the Joshua] fight again. So it’s definitely a fight that I don’t rule out but I think people don’t really give Wilder much shot against AJ right now, but hopefully he can start looking good again.
“It’s funny how people can be so fearful of a fighter and then all of the sudden have no fear whatsoever. I don’t think anybody would now fear fighting Deontay Wilder, where at a point everybody thought ‘oh my, this guy is the biggest puncher in the history of the sport,” and now everyone wants to fight him. So we shall see,” Hearn said
The Wilder-Joshua fight is arguably past its sell-by date. The fight was first entertained around 2018-19 when it would have been for the Undisputed Heavyweight Title. Joshua was the Unified Heavyweight Champion, while Wilder held the WBC belt. Reports indicated Wilder’s team made a $50 million offer, but it never saw a fight materialize.
Joshua eventually lost his title to Oleksandr Usyk, while Wilder came unstuck against Tyson Fury. The pair then signed a deal to fight each other, provided they beat their respective opponents, Otto Wallin and Joseph Parker. Joshua stopped Wallin in impressive fashion, but Wilder lost out to Parker. Since then, both fighters have suffered additional losses. Joshua was knocked out by Daniel Dubois, where Wilder got stopped by Zhang. Is Wilder Joshua vs. Wilder a fight that simply got away.
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New York Yankees fans know all too well how long it's been since the club last won a World Series title. If general manager Brian Cashman doesn't successfully wheel and deal ahead of the July 31 MLB trade deadline, it's entirely the title drought will continue in the Bronx. And that's not even the worst of it. "The Yankees, even without ace Gerrit Cole, were comfortably cruising along towards another AL East title when the wheels came off, and they have less than two weeks to see if they can find the right mechanic to get them rolling again," USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported Sunday. "This is a team that had a seven-game lead in late May, were 17 games over .500 in mid-June, but then were swept by the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels, and still haven’t been the same, losing 19 times in the last 30 games," Nightengale continued. "They are desperate to find a third baseman and another starter in the next 12 days. If they come up empty, they may have trouble just slipping into the postseason," Nightendale concluded. "Sitting home in October would be nothing short of disastrous," Nightengale added for emphasis. The Yankees last missed the playoffs two years ago before returning to the World Series last fall. In seeking its first title since 2009, New York lost the 2024 Fall Classic to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games. This year, the Yankees have a 42% chance of winning the American League East, according to FanGraphs. New York has a 49.4% chance of winning an AL wild card, giving them a 91.4% chance overall of reaching the playoffs. The Yankees have a 10% chance of winning the World Series, which is tied with the Detroit Tigers for the best odds in the American League. The Dodgers remain the overall World Series favorites with a 20.8% chance of winning another title. Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more! MLB Trade Rumors: Yankees Linked To Red-Hot Reliever Yankees Linked to Former Outfielder in Juicy Trade Rumor Yankees in Mix for Pirates All-Star Pitcher Yankees Trade Rumors: All-Star Closer On The Market? Yankees Have Competition for Diamondbacks Star
Toronto Blue Jays fans don't have much to complain about. Despite losing 5-4 on Tuesday to the New York Yankees, their team leads the AL East by three games heading into play Wednesday against the Yankees. But not everything is perfect north of the U.S. border. Keegan Matheson, Blue Jays reporter for MLB.com, echoed that sentiment during Tuesday night's loss to New York in a post shared on X. "The #BlueJays need more from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and I don't understand why that's only being whispered instead of said out loud," Matheson wrote. Matheson has been beating this drum recently, and he's spot-on. Guerrero Jr., who signed a 14-year, $500M extension in April, hasn't produced superstar numbers. Through 99 games, Vladdy has a .283 average, 13 HRs and 48 RBI. Per ESPN, the 26-year-old is on pace for 21 HRs and 77 RBI, which would by far his lowest full-season totals in those categories since his rookie season in 2019. Although they have one of MLB's best records, the Blue Jays (59-42) lack pop in the lineup. Toronto ranks 20th in the majors in home runs with 105. If Vladdy finds his power stroke and turn it on in the final months of the regular season, the Blue Jays will go from being a playoff contender to a threat to win the World Series. If he doesn't, the Blue Jays aren't getting their money's worth.
The addition of safety Jamal Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders is a bit surprising given his injury history, but the Raiders brass is keeping their fingers crossed hoping the three-time Pro Bowl safety can stay healthy. In an interview with Raider Nation Radio 920 AM on Wednesday, Raiders general manager John Spytek revealed Adams will "play probably a little closer to the line of scrimmage than a true safety." It is not surprising Spytek would say such a thing since Adams played like a hybrid linebacker for head coach Pete Carroll with the Seattle Seahawks. In Seattle, Adams played 34 games for Carroll, including one game in 2022 due to a quad injury in the season opener against the Denver Broncos. He only played nine games in his final season with Carroll and the Seahawks in 2023 before joining the Tennessee Titans and Detroit Lions last season. The 29-year-old Adams is entering his ninth season after he was drafted with the sixth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. If Adams can stay healthy, it could turn out to be a great thing for the Raiders since they need a playmaker and veteran leadership on the field. Spytek's words seem to indicate Adams will have a role when the season gets underway against the New England Patriots on Sept. 7. It will not be surprising if Adams gets a lot of reps during the preseason to see if he can stay healthy. For the Raiders' sake, they better hope they get the early version of Adams, who had 9.5 sacks in his first season with the Seahawks in 2020 - an NFL record for a defensive back. Spytek and Carroll are banking on Adams to remain healthy for the Raiders and give the team another threat on the defensive side to complement star pass rusher Maxx Crosby.
Milwaukee Brewers Jacob Misiorowski was back on the mound on Tuesday night against the Seattle Mariners, and even though he pitched just 3.2 innings, he continued to show why he is one of baseball's most exciting young talents. Prior to be pulled after 64 pitches, he allowed just three hits, walked one and struck out seven to continue his stunning start to his big league career. He also continued to light up the radar gun in a way that no other pitcher in the modern era has. Following Tuesday's start, where he regularly clocked in at over 101 mph, he has now thrown 39 pitches this season that have eclipsed 101 mph on the radar gun. He has done that in just 29.1 innings over six starts. By comparison, every other starting pitcher in Major League Baseball has tallied just 17 pitches of 101 mph or higher — combined. But it's not just about how he stacks up with pitchers this season that is staggering. It's that he is near the top of the list for 101 mph pitches for a career. Here are two of his 101 mph heaters from Tuesday. The ball just erupts out of his hand at the hitters. When you add in his mid-90s change-up and high-90s breaking pitches he is already one of the nastiest pitchers in the majors. It is that sort of electric stuff that made him a National League All-Star after just five appearances. For the season, he has now struck out 40 batters in 29.1 innings of work (that is 12.27 per nine innings), allowed only 15 hits and just eight earned runs. And five of those earned runs against came in only one start. Given his age and with the way teams today are extremely protective of their pitchers, he is probably going to see his pitch counts and innings closely monitored this season. When he is on the mound, though, he is quickly becoming appointment viewing.
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