Eddie Hearn's instant reaction speaks volumes after Deontay Wilder calls out Anthony Joshua

Eddie Hearn's immediate reaction looked to speak volumes after Deontay Wilder called out Anthony Joshua at the O2 Arena.

Wilder defeated Derek Chisora by split decision on Saturday night.

The 'Bronze Bomber' knocked his opponent down with a trademark right hand in the eighth round, before bundling him over the ropes in round nine.

Chisora somehow made it to the final bell, but there was only ever going to be one winner when the final announcement was made.

Shortly after the fight, Wilder quickly turned his attention towards Joshua, who was in the crowd at the O2 Arena.

It was Joshua's first public appearance since he was a passenger in a fatal car crash in Nigeria in December, which killed two of his close friends and associates Kevin Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami.

He hasn't fought since knocking out Jake Paul in Miami on December 19, and there has recently been growing speculation that he could face off against Tyson Fury later this year.

But Wilder clearly wants a fight against Joshua which would be many years in the making, with the pair never crossing paths inside the ring.

As he walked out of the arena, the American simply turned towards Joshua before shouting: "He's scared as f**k. Let's do it!"

Joshua's reaction was one of total silence as he stared Wilder out, which hardly put the rumours to bed.

Alongside the Watford-born boxer was his promoter Hearn, who was also watching the action from the crowd at the O2.

When Boxing King Media asked Hearn whether he would take the fight against Wilder, Hearn simply shrugged his shoulders before gesturing towards Joshua - appearing to suggest that, if Joshua wants the fight, it can be his.

Crucially, though, he didn't dismiss the idea, and when tensions had calmed, he refused to do so again in a separate interview with Fight Hub TV.

He said: "He [Wilder] said, 'Let's do it'. AJ just sort of stared him, ice-cold. But he could fight him, no problem.

"I thought he [Wilder] looked better [against Chisora]. I thought he looked better. Listen, Chisora's not easy. He's a tough man. He's not an easy guy to beat.

"I wasn't impressed with Wilder, but I was more impressed than I thought, if that makes sense."

Joshua vs Wilder would doubtless bring with it a huge financial incentive for both fighters, given the amount of interest there would likely be in one of the biggest heavyweight boxing fights of the modern era.

Wilder claimed in 2020 that he had rejected 'more money' to fight Joshua to instead take on Tyson Fury in a rematch, which he lost.

"When that [first] fight was a draw, I told you that I would give you a rematch," he wrote on Twitter.

"You know I was offered more money to fight Joshua than I was getting to fight you. Again being a man of my word, I fought you like I said I would..."