Former WBA heavyweight titlist David Haye believes Vitali Klitschko’s politiical career is holding up a potential showdown for Klitschko’s WBC championship.
Haye, who’s been inactive since losing a unanimous decision to Vitali’s younger brother Wladimir last July, believes Vitali’s public statements of wanting to fight him, but says the 40-year-old champion’s handlers would rather take safer fights.
“There is so much riding on his political career, he wants to fight guys like Dereck Chisora, who he can guarantee a victory over,” Haye told The Telegraph. “Fighting me is not in his interests. The word in Ukraine is that his people cannot afford for him to lose against me, or not knock me out, as he has told the Ukrainian people he will do what his brother could not do and knock me out.
“We agreed to the terms in December. We agreed to the purse and the terms. We asked for the contract to come over to us, but it didn’t happen for whatever reason. Then the fight with Chisora was announced.”
Haye announced on his Twitter page last night that Vitali confirmed their fight personally and in a RTL interview, a claim that was later denied by Klitschko manager Bernd Boente.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 