Promoter Eddie Hearn has responded to accusations from WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder that he’s simply using Anthony Joshua to make money.

Wilder stated his belief that Hearn was ‘milking’ his ‘cow’ Joshua ‘for every dollar he could get’ recently, leading to the Matchroom boss hitting back.

“Talking of milking the cow, I think Deontay’s got a chip on his shoulder because his udders are dry,” Hearn told Sky Sports News.

“He’s making very small money and needs a new promoter. I don’t think he has a promoter at the moment, so if he doesn’t – Deontay just pick up the phone, drop me a line. We’ll get this AJ fight, we’ll make you some real money.

“He’s WBC champion, he’s a great fighter, who is a great personality, but for this camp he’s been like a one-man salesman, just travelling around the globe, trying to sell his own fight. He should be in camp. This is a proper fight, his first real test.

“Make no mistake, I was with Anthony Joshua this morning, he wants to fight Deontay Wilder. He sees that as an easier fight potentially than the Joseph Parker fight.

“The plan is to become undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. He’s got to deal with Parker first on March 31, it’s a tough fight. After that, Deontay is coming to Cardiff, we can sit down, we can get that fight made. No problems from our side.”

Previously, speaking with the BBC, Hearn had said: “Deontay Wilder has tried to sell his whole fight on Anthony Joshua – he should worry about Luis Ortiz.

“Anthony will fight anyone and, as we have stated a thousand times, he wants to be the undisputed champion.

“If he beats Joseph Parker then he just needs one more belt. Wilder doesn’t have a promoter so is on a one-man salesman mission – get your head on Ortiz, let us deal with Parker then join us back in the real world and this fight will get made very quickly,” he added.