After Last Night’s Farce In Manchester: Can We Look Ahead To A Haye-Klitschko Fight Next Year?

By James Slater: Last night, minutes after ending the quite pathetic (there really is no other word for it) challenge of Audley Harrison, WBA heavyweight champ David Haye spoke about what will be next for him in the ring. Confident he can “crush anybody,” Haye promised the fights with Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko will happen next year.

This is what all fight fans, fans of the heavyweight division in particular, have been wanting to hear for some time now. And if Haye makes good with his promise, we could be in for a couple of big, exciting heavyweight nights in 2011. All that is needed to make the two fights, it seems (and we’d settle for just one – with Haye taking on either brother), is for the rival heavyweights to reach a deal that is agreeable to both parties. It sounds simple enough, but as any fight fan will tell you, it’s never that simple in boxing; especially when there’s as much money at stake as there is in the case of a heavyweight unification match.

But, in keeping optimistic, we can hope that Haye gets it on with at least one brother next spring or summer. After all, what else is there for the heavyweight division when it comes to the titles? Sure, we wouldn’t mind seeing Wladimir or Vitali rumble with guys like Tomasz Adamek (even if he lacks the size and power to be able to beat either sibling), Odlanier Solis (who, despite his talent, appears to have the exact opposite problem to Adamek, in that he carries too much weight), or Alexander Povetkin (if the Russian ever decides he’s quite ready for the challenge) – but the most intriguing, the most exciting-looking prospect, is Haye Vs. a Klitschko.

Last night’s “fight” was, Haye boasted beforehand, a mere “warm-up” for a fight with one of the all-conquering boxing brothers, and we really hope he will now sit down and get a fight made with one of the rival heavyweight champs. As easy as last night’s win was for Haye, he could be ready to box again as soon as January, if not sooner!

Really, the only way Haye can come close to removing the stench/bad taste last night’s “fight” has left us all with, is to get it on with a Klitschko and treat all the hardworking, money-paying fans to a genuine battle. Haye, by the way, has attracted a little bit of bad publicity due to how he revealed post-fight how he had backed himself to win in the 3rd-round last night.

Promoter Frank Warren, for one, has questioned Haye’s “ethics” for doing such a thing. Warren told BBC radio that, had he been a fan who had put some hard-earned cash on a Haye win in the first or second round, he would be feeling very aggrieved now due to how Haye always knew he’d get the job done in the 3rd.

Indeed, we must ask, did Haye “carry” Harrison for the first couple of rounds? Neither man landed a significant punch in the first six minutes, that’s for sure. But, as soon as Haye decided to open up, he took Harrison out in that 3rd-round. Will The BBB of C have anything to say about what Haye had to say after winning yesterday?

As for Harrison, the man who promised so much and even went as far as to say he “wished the fight was scheduled for 15-rounds,” he has given a hint that he might not do the decent thing and retire. But if Harrison – who, along with Bruce Seldon, who fell against Mike Tyson after barely being hit in that infamous 1996 “fight,” gave us one of the most pitiful heavyweight title challenges in history – does fight on, who on earth would pay to see him?

Last night’s “fight” did neither boxer any good, nor did the Haye victory do the sport in general any good. It’s now up to both heavyweights to do the decent thing: Harrison must retire, and Haye must give us a meaningful fight; against a Klitschko ideally.