By Matt Stein: World Boxing Association heavyweight champion David Haye (24-1, 22 KO’s) for the first time talked about not needing to fight the Klitschko brothers to secure his legacy. For some, it might seem like a shot across the bow to confirm their suspicions that the 29-year-old Haye was never serious in the first place about fighting the Klitschko brothers. In an article at Sky Sports, Haye says “To unify the titles against Wladimir or Vitali [Klitschko] would be absolutely huge for my legacy. If it doesn’t happen in two years, then it doesn’t happen. However, I will find someone to secure my legacy with.”

This is strange talk from Haye, who up until now, he hasn’t been able to stop talking about wanting to fight the Klitschko brothers. Haye was able to talk his way into and out of fights with both Klitschko brothers last year, despite having next to no heavyweight experience. The things changed when Haye grabbed a heavyweight title shot against German based WBA heavyweight champion Nikolay Valuev, and was able to beat the 7-foot Russian by a close 12 round majority decision last year in November.

Haye then defeated John Ruiz, an aging 38-year-old former two-time heavyweight champion last weekend. Now instead of the Klitschko fights being a must for Haye, he sounds as if he can take it or leave it. That is unusual, for Haye has been saying long and hard that he only wants to fight the best in the heavyweight division, and that, you would assume, would mean the Klitschko brothers.

It would be interesting to see who Haye feels he can secure his legacy against in the heavyweight division, if not with the Klitschko brothers. There simply isn’t anyone in the heavyweight division that Haye can secure his legacy against, apart from the Klitschko. Haye now finds himself in the same position as the Klitschko brothers have been in for the past five years.

There’s really no one in the heavyweight division popular enough, important enough and enough of a threat for boxing fans to really care about if Haye beats them. While I think Haye would do well if he can beat Tomasz Adamek, Chris Arreola, Odlanier Solis, and Alexander Povetkin before retiring, I don’t think beating those guys are going to establish any kind of long-lasting legacy for Haye.

It won’t be any kind of legacy that can be compared to that of Lennox Lewis, if that’s what Haye is using as a measuring stick. The problem for Haye is that he’s saying he only wants to fight four more times and then retire at age 31. With that little time left, we’re probably looking at Haye fighting a rematch with Valuev, the winner of Ruslan Chagaev vs. Kali Meehan, and then maybe Bernard Hopkins and then some other heavyweight contender.

That’s if Haye doesn’t fight the Klitschko brothers. I think it’s going to be very hard for a fight between Haye and the Klitschko brothers to be set up at this point, because now that Haye has won the WBA title and beaten the 38-year-old Ruiz, Haye is going to want an equal deal with the Klitschko brothers. Does Haye deserve an equal 50-50 deal – or more – with the Klitschko brothers based on wins over Monte Barrett, Tomasz Bonin, Valuev and Ruiz at the heavyweight level? That’s pretty weak experience at heavyweight, and the cruiserweight fights that Haye has won have been against smaller fighters in a division that most boxing fans tend to completely ignore for the most part.

Haye doesn’t need to fight the Klitschko brothers to make huge money. Just fighting the regular contenders in the division will give Haye huge paydays each time out without the worry of having to face the Klitschko brothers, who would have a good chance of knocking Haye out because of their size, power and experience.

In talking about the potential of fighting Valuev again, Haye says “if it has to happen, then it has to happen. I believe if I fought him again I’d knock him out this time around. I know I can hurt him and I’d make sure I got to him earlier.” Haye looked very timid against Valuev in their fight last year and didn’t really do anything until the final round where Haye threw a hard combination that staggered Valuev in the last seconds of the bout. Haye wasn’t able to follow up with anything because Valuev immediately wrapped him up in a clinch.