By Jason Kim: According to the latest boxing gossip on Steve Bunce’s show, Richard Schaefer, the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, there could be a possible bout between Bernard Hopkins and David Haye in the future. However, there are a lot of ifs that are involved for this to occur, starting with David Haye having to defeat IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko in their June 20th title fight at the Veltins Arena, in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, next month.

Yet even if Haye wins that fight, he would then still have to fight Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir’s big brother who is the World Boxing Council heavyweight champion. If Haye gets by Vitali – which is no easy task, believe me – then Haye would still have to face Wladimir a second time in a rematch.

All total, Haye would have to win three separate fights with the Klitschko brothers to be able to move on and fight someone like 44-year-old Bernard Hopkins. If you estimate that there’s probably at least five months, possibly as much as six between every title defense, then Haye wouldn’t be free for a bout with Hopkins until at least April of next year.

Even then, Hopkins would likely have to wait until around until possibly September for a fight with Haye. Given that Hopkins is 44-years-old right now and hasn’t had a fight since October 2008, he would be a ripe 45, almost 46, by the time that he would get a chance at fighting Haye.

I understand the boxing public can never be underestimated for their gullibility, but I’m not so sure that even a naïve public could stomach the thought of an undersized, 45-year-old Hopkins moving up to fight a heavyweight like Haye.

For certain, the fight would obviously occur at a catch weight of less that would likely be in the neighborhood of 200 pounds or so, but even with that, the thought of a 45-year-old Hopkins facing a slugger like Haye is more than a little off putting and reeks of a rip off bout.

I could see a fight like this going on if the economy was doing well, but it’s hard to imagine people wanting to see something like this in PPV with Hopkins being as old and as small as he is. To sell something this, Hopkins would at least need to prove that he can beat a good cruiserweight first, someone like Tomasz Adamek or better yet Ola Afolabi.

If Hopkins can beat either one of them, I think the boxing public might a little more open to a fight between him and Haye. However, I still doubt whether there would be a ton of interest. If Haye can beat both of the Klitschko brothers, Haye will be someone that all of the heavyweights will be going after and will be able to pick and choose whom he wants to fight.

He might not need a fight against an older fighter like Hopkins to make big money. Hopkins, 6’1”, would be a huge disadvantage against the faster, stronger, 6’3” Haye. It would be much worse than the advantage that the 6’6” 245 pound Wladimir Klitschko has over the 215 pound Haye, because Hopkins fights at 175, and would be much smaller than Haye.