By James Slater: Moments after his ludicrously easy blowout of an inept Audley Harrison this past Saturday, WBA heavyweight ruler David Haye said he would face both Klitschko brothers next year, beat the pair of them and then retire. Haye promised the two fights would take place, as did his manager Adam Booth, who said the fights have a 99-percent chance of happening.
Well, moments ago, a BBC news report has surfaced reporting how Vitali Klitschko, the older of the two siblings and the reigning WBC champion, has made it clear he is ready, willing and able to fight Haye next – in the spring of next year.
“I’m ready any minute to sign a 50-50 contract,” Vitali said. “We are both world champions so let’s fight. Let’s make the fight in the spring time – I’m ready, the question is for David Haye. Haye is a great talker but the question is, is he a good fighter? If he is a good fighter he should sign the contract.”
And “Dr. Iron Fist” insisted he would face Haye just about anywhere, in pretty much any country the WBA champ wants.
“I hear about the great venue of Madison Square Garden for this fight,” Klitschko said. “But I’m ready to fight in Germany, the United States or Great Britain. Let’s sign the contract. Straightaway we are ready. I want to fight David Haye.”
It seems, then, that this is a deal Team-Haye cannot possibly afford to turn down. A 50-50 deal, in any of the three countries Vitali mentioned, next spring? What can Haye possibly find to his dislike in such an offer?
If Haye really does want the fight or fights with the Klitschkos as he claims, he will surely respond immediately to this offer, and give heavyweight boxing fans one of the two fights they really want and deserve to see.
As easy as his last “fight” was, Haye can have no issues at all with fighting again as soon as in March or April. Vitali does have a mandatory defence on the cards – against the winner of December’s Odlanier Solis-Ray Austin eliminator – but surely a voluntary defence against Haye will be permitted in the meantime.
The ball, it seems, is in David Haye’s court. Could we, finally, be on the verge of seeing Haye back up his talk and get it on with the Klitschkos? Vitali seems almost desperate to get the fight made. Let’s hope Haye has the same enthusiasm.