By Aaron Klein: In a post fight interview with David Haye last night with Setanta Sports, he announced that he met with Vitali Klitschko and said that he’s in the process of working out a fight with him in 2009. According to Haye, “I did an interview with him [Vitali Klitschko] and I said let’s make this fight happen and he said, ‘cool, let’s do it.’ So we’re going to sit down tonight and try to thrash out some kind of deal.”
The major obstacle preventing the fight from going forward is Vitali’s mandatory challenger for his WBC heavyweight title, Juan Carlos Gomez. However, according to Haye, that’s something that can be worked around, saying “that fight has to go to purse bids, and that’s not 100% certain for whatever reason. So apparently he’s available.” Not done, Haye had this to say about Vitali, “he’s been telling me that he wants to shut my big mouth, and I said to him that I’d fight either one of the Klitschko brothers sometime next year.”
Haye, ranked #5 in the World Boxing Council, was previously thought to be next in line for IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko. However, based on Haye’s comments, it looks as if Vitali may be next, just as long as the Gomez fight doesn’t get in the way for Vitali. If that turns out to be the case, then Haye is more than happy to face the younger Klitschko brother, whom he was less than impressed with after watching Wladimir dismantle Hasim Rahman last night, stopping him in the 7th round in Mannheim, Germany.
“It was way to unspectacular for my liking,” Haye said speaking of Wladimir’s victory over Rahman. “Way too many jabs, way too much waiting for the guy. He actually wanted the guy to fall over before he threw a powerful punch. It was pretty embarrassing stuff. He had the perfect opponent to look spectacular against and knockout in a spectacular fashion, and he [Wladimir] failed miserably. He did what he always does, and that’s jab people to sleep.”
Wladimir has a mandatory defense of his IBF title that he needs to make against Alexander Povetkin, barring any additional injuries from Povetkin in 2009. Beyond that, Wladimir is free for a bout with Haye, if Haye doesn’t come to agreement with a fight with Vitali.
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