By Scott Gilfoid: Adam Booth, the trainer/manager for World Boxing Association heavyweight champion David Haye says that they’ll be deciding in the next few days who they plan on fighting next. It’s unclear if it will be IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko or someone else. Earlier today, Wladimir sent a video message to various websites in which he called Haye out, telling him to fight him next. In an article at Sky Sports, Booth says “I had a call from their [the Klitschko brothers] last week just after David’s win over [over John Ruiz] and we agreed we would speak this Wednesday, but obviously Wladimir couldn’t wait that long. Over the next couple of days we’ll be looking at what direction David is going. If that involves a Klitschko, I’ll give Shelley Finkel [the manager for the Klitschkos] a call. We’re not far away, that’s for sure.”

It looks like Booth sees Haye as being in the power position in terms of a Klitschko fight. In contrast to the way that Haye earlier had pursued Klitschko, it now seems strange that Haye and Booth aren’t overjoyed with the thought of facing Wladimir. This, after all, is what Haye has been talking about for ages in calling out Wladimir. He finally gets his wish, and his manager/trainer won’t commit verbally. I don’t like the sound of things.

It might be difficult to put together a fight a fight between Wladimir Klitschko and Haye. If Haye sees himself as the main attraction, he might end up wanting a better deal than Klitschko, or least a 50-50 deal. Will Klitschko go for that? Given that Haye has only fought four times at heavyweight against Tomasz Bonin, Monte Barrett, Nikolay Valuev and John Ruiz, it would seem bizarre for him to see himself in the position of power in negotiations with either of the Klitschko brothers.

Booth says “Maybe on behalf of boxing fans Wladimir can sort out with his brother which one is world champion. Maybe they can have a scrap first. It can be in their back garden for all I care, the mum [mother] can referee, but just sort out which one is better. The winner can fight David. If they don’t want to have a scrap, maybe one brother can give the other his belt so David can unify this mess in one punch. Wladimir seems to want the fight now, which is fantastic. If he genuinely wants the fight, the balls in our court and that’s where we like it.”

Wow! Booth sounds like Haye is the one calling the shots. If I was Wladimir, I’d forget all about Haye unless he’s willing to take a much smaller cut. He doesn’t have the experience to be calling the shots. Wladimir needs to say what kind of cut of the revenue he wants and if Haye doesn’t go for it, then just move on. That’s what I would do.

Let Haye continue to fight Barrett, Valuev and Bonin until he’s 31, and then he can retire. But I wouldn’t give him a 50-50 deal, no way. I’d tell him to take a walk. What’s weird is that Haye was talking about wanting to fight both Klitschko brothers, but now Booth is suggesting that he wants Haye to fight only one of the brothers so he can get a chance to get both titles at once. What happened to fighting both of them?

I know he’s probably teasing, but I think he would like to have it easy for Haye, so he doesn’t have to work harder. It doesn’t matter. I have serious doubts that they’ll be able to even put together a fight, much less win one against either of them. I give Haye like a 3% chance of beating Wladimir and 0% of beating Vitali. No way will he beat Vitali, but I think he has a sliver of a chance of beating Wladimir. We’re talking really small, though, because Haye is too short, too wide defensively and he throws these god awful amateurish looking haymakers that will leave him wide open for Wladimir’s left hook and right hand.

I expect Haye to fight like a timid rabbit if he ever does fight Wladimir, but I doubt it’s going to get to that point because I can’t see the fight getting through the negotiation stage. This will be just like the failed fight between Vitali and Valuev, but worse. Haye is probably going to want a ton of money and Wladimir won’t go for it and thus Haye will have to be satisfied ending his career at 31 having not faced the Klitschko brothers. I think Haye might have a better chance of negotiating a deal with Vitali, because I think he wants to fight Haye no matter what. But Wladimir, who has been the best heavyweight in the division for the past four years, probably won’t go along with a fight between him and Haye unless he gets the king’s share of the purse.