Deontay Wilder's team prepared to make counteroffer to Anthony Joshua within 48 hours

As first reported by FightNights.com, undefeated WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has rejected a flat fee of $12.5 million to square off against Anthony Joshua for the undisputed heavyweight championship.

According to sources reporting to FightNights.com, Wilder's team is prepared to make a counteroffer to Eddie Hearn, of Matchroom Sport, Joshua's promoter, within the next 48 hours.

Sources with knowledge of the situation reported exclusively to FightNights.com Tuesday that Wilder's team was insulted by the "bogus" offer, and had "nothing to say."

Wilder promoter Lou DiBella would not confirm the existence of the offer, but did not deny it.

"It’s obvious at this point 40-0 w/39ko’s they don’t want no smoke," Wilder said on Instagram.

"At some point in life a boy must detach his lips from mum nipples and become a man, I’m just saying."

Wilder's co-manager Shelley Finkel confirmed to Sky Sports that the $12.5 million offer was legitimate.

“That’s nice, since he offered us 12.5,” Wilder’s co-manager Shelley Finkel said. “He thinks that we’re only 12 and-a-half percent of it?”

Let's say the bout makes $80 million. Based on our calculations, that is approximately an 85-15 split of the money. If the fight makes $100 million, which could be a bit of a stretch, but time will tell, that is closer to a 90-10 split.

The unbeaten Joshua won a third heavyweight title belt with his victory over Parker on March 31 in Cardiff, but his 100 percent knockout record was snapped, going the distance for the first time in his professional career. The bout did have its moments, but it was not the most scintillating affair.

Joshua-Parker had a peak audience of 379,000, which was less than Saturday's main event of a Showtime-televised tripleheader in Las Vegas, Erislandy Lara vs. Jarrett Hurd, which drew a peak audience of 521,000.

Wilder's last fight on March 3, an exhilarating 10th-round knockout of former interim titlist Luis Ortiz, had a peak audience of 1.2 million viewers. However, as far as live audience is concerned, the advantage belongs to Joshua. Over his last three fights, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist has averaged around 82,000 tickets sold.

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