The opening bell: Joshua-Wilder games

In boxing, as in life, if something sounds too good to be true it probably is -- and that's why the prospect of seeing an undisputed heavyweight world championship fight between three-belt titlist Anthony Joshua and one-belt man Deontay Wilder next is so unlikely.

The main reason is that, at least when it comes to actions instead of words, it seems like the Joshua camp is not actually serious about pursuing one of the biggest fights in the sport and easily the biggest fight in the heavyweight division in many years.

I 100 percent believe the Wilder camp wants this fight and wants it next. I also have no doubt Wilder would be willing to travel to Joshua's home turf in the United Kingdom for the bout. Wilder has said so repeatedly and showed his road warrior spirit by previously signing to go to Moscow to defend his belt against Alexander Povetkin, until PEDvetkin failed a drug test and the fight was canceled (and Wilder later won a $4 million court judgment against him and his promoter).

If Joshua (21-0, 20 KOs) wants the fight with Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs) next, it sure doesn't seem that way, regardless of what he says. It's clear in the offer Joshua's promoter, Matchroom Boxing's Eddie Hearn, recently made to the Wilder camp: a flat fee of $12.5 million, take it or leave it, for Wilder's participation in the fight.

Of course, $12.5 million large is giant money for most people, but for a fight of this magnitude, it is not a serious offer. If Wilder's team -- managers Al Haymon, Shelly Finkel and Jay Deas and promoter Lou DiBella -- accepted the deal, they would be committing malpractice on behalf of their client.

For Team Joshua to take Wilder as a $12.5 million expense without cutting him in for a large percentage of an event that could generate in the high eight figures is a joke. When Joshua faced Joseph Parker to unify their three belts last month, the Parker camp got one-third of the money in the event. Wilder is worth more than that, obviously; he brings the last piece of the undisputed title to the table, he brings a bigger fan base and, on his own, he generates more money than Parker does.

If Parker is worth a third, Wilder is easily worth at least that much and probably even a few more points. His side has stated it knows it's not getting 50-50 and hasn't asked for it, but to be offered a flat fee is not a real offer. It's an offer meant for the Joshua team to be able to run around and say, "Hey, we made an offer, and Team Wilder turned it down." It's called playing games, and it's nothing new in boxing.

A little history lesson: When we were bogged down in the will-they-or-won't-they nonsense of the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao saga, Mayweather at one point offered Pacquiao a flat fee of $40 million. That's monster money, but not in the context of that event. Pacquiao rightfully said no. When the fight was finally made, Pacquiao got 40 percent of the pie and earned well over $100 million.

Joshua-Wilder is the exact same situation but for less money. Wilder and his team would be foolish to accept such a laughable offer, and Joshua's camp knows it -- which is why, at this point, all talk the of Joshua-Wilder being next is nothing more than a game boxing fans are not interested in playing.