by James Slater – As fans of this website know, former lineal and WBO heavyweight champ Shannon Briggs recently put out an eloquently written letter in which he suggested David Haye, the current WBA heavyweight ruler, take a fight with him instead of “wasting his time” trying to secure a deal with the Klitschko brothers. And while the idea of a Haye-Briggs collision was appealing to some fight fans, it appears there is next to no chance of it taking place.
According to trainer and manager of Haye, Adam Booth – who informed Gareth. A Davies of Telegraph Sport that his fighter has “no interest” in a fight with the New Yorker – the idea of such a fight should not even be taken seriously..
“I’m surprised it has even been taken seriously even on a website,” Booth said disparagingly.
So, who will Haye, fresh off his exciting 9th-round stoppage of a game John Ruiz, look to fight next now that “The Cannon” is out of the picture? Somewhat depressingly, Booth says Haye has no upcoming opponent in mind at all, and that the 29-year-old will instead look to take a break from fighting.
“We are not considering anything or any opponents at the moment,” Booth went on. “None whatsoever. We want to let everything settle, the last year was quite busy with negotiations for four world title fights, two of which have now taken place, and David is now going to take a well-earned rest.”
So, it appears as though Wladimir Klitschko’s own recent calling out of Haye (via a well publicised You Tube message) will also not be answered any time soon. How long, though, will Haye’s “well-earned rest” last? Let’s face it, for a primed and peaking warrior such as “The Hayemaker,” a schedule that has consisted of just two fights since November of 2008 is not one that should have caused any problems. Yet now Booth is telling us Haye will take a break. Add to this the promise Haye has made of how he will retire at the age of 31, and it looks like the exciting heavyweight puncher may only been seen in the ring on a further two or three occasions at the most.
If Haye really does want to face Wladimir Klitschko, for the “Real” heavyweight championship, what is he waiting for? Turning down Briggs is one thing, but fighting no-one else instead, at least for the time being, is not something that will sit well with the fans. Especially when Haye declared himself, not too long ago, as being the saviour of the heavyweight division!