Eddie Hearn and Deontay Wilder Set Aside Feud During Awkward Ten-Hour Flight Together

Rivals Forced to Share Flight After Wilder-AJ Fight Agreement

Eddie Hearn and Deontay Wilder, who have been engaged in a bitter feud for years, found themselves in an uncomfortable situation when they were forced to share a ten-hour flight together. This unexpected encounter came just hours after Wilder agreed to fight Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia on December 23. The two heavyweight giants were originally scheduled to face each other in 2018, but the deal fell through, leading to ongoing verbal sparring between Hearn and Wilder.

An Unexpected Meeting at the Airport

After Joshua and Wilder signed their agreement in London, Wilder headed to the airport to catch a flight back to Los Angeles. However, to his surprise, he ran into long-time rival Hearn, who was also on his way to LA for a business trip. The two men faced the prospect of spending ten hours together on the same flight, but they decided to put their history aside and shook hands, even posing for a photo together.

Wilder's Perspective

Reflecting on the encounter, Wilder commented on the photo, saying, "Damn, this is wilder than Wilder. If you know the history, then you know what's understood; it doesn't have to be explained. I will title this picture 'Old Endings for a New Beginning'. Finally, the boxing fans will get what they've been waiting YEARS for. The only thing that stands in the way now is Dec 23."

Hearn's Account

Providing more details about their meeting, Hearn told DAZN, "I got to the check-in this morning and was just very tired after a long day. And then I looked around and it was Deontay and Malik Scott. They were heading on the same flight as me. I had a good chat with Deontay. I think he's chilled a little bit in the last year. He seems very focused ahead of a massive night of boxing. We talked about the AJ fight, we made it clear from our side that we want this fight. There's a lot of discussions ongoing obviously, but also said let's not slip up in tough tests on December 23."