By Scott Gilfoid: I think WBA heavyweight champion David Haye should only get 20% of the revenue in a fight with IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko. But to make the fight easier to get made, let’s say Wladimir offers Haye 40% to take the fight. Will Haye go for this or will be stubbornly hold out for 50% or more for a fight with Wladimir? I think with Haye’s ego, he’ll take nothing less than 50% and possibly will want even more.

A 40% offer is more than fair as far as I’m concerned. Haye doesn’t have the experience at heavyweight, only has one belt, isn’t considered to be the best fighter in the heavyweight division, and is totally unknown in the United States. Haye is well known in England, but that’s about it. I seriously doubt that too many casual boxing fans are familiar with Haye elsewhere in Europe. They might know Haye in England, but I doubt they do in Russia, Ukraine, Spain and the other European countries.

That’s the thing. Wladimir is well known all around the world, whereas Haye is just known mostly in the UK. So by giving Haye a 40-60 deal, Wladimir would actually be doing Haye a really big favor in my view. Haye hasn’t had to beat any dangerous heavyweights since moving up in division. Let Haye beat Samuel Peter, Alexander Povetkin and Odlanier Solis and then come talking about wanting a 50-50 deal or better in a fight against Wladimir.

This isn’t just about being able to out-talk Wladimir. You have to perform in the ring where it counts against skilled younger fighters, not a bunch of fighters that are pushing 40 like the ones that Haye has fought. Haye has beaten a 38-year-old John Ruiz, a 36-year-old Nikolay Valuev, and a 38-year-old Monte Barrett since moving up to heavyweight. Aren’t those guys kind of old?

Can you imagine the heat that Wladimir would take if he moved down to the cruiserweight division, talked a lot of smack, fought three older fighters that are pushing 40 and then asked for a 50-50 deal with an established cruiserweight who had been considered to be the best fighter in the division for the past five years. Forgetting how popular Wladimir is now, he would be skewered by the press if he asked for a 50-50 deal with a long established champion if he hadn’t accomplished as much as he has.

I really think that Wladimir shoudln’t give Haye more than 20%, because that’s what I think Haye is worth with his lack of experience, but to make the fight more likely to happen, Wladimir should offer Haye a 40-60 deal. If Haye and his trainer/manager Adam Booth reject this, then Wladimir should move on immediately and not make himself look stupid by wasting his time. Let Haye fight it out against top contenders in the WBA and let’s see how well he does in finishing his career. I suspect that Haye will be knocked out in one or two fights once he has to take on some dangerous fighters. Ruslan Chagaev might be the one to do. It might not even take a fighter like Solis to do it.