By Sean McDaniel: According to the latest news reports, World Boxing Association heavyweight champion David Haye (24-1, 22 KO’s) is looking to fight EBU heavyweight champion Audley Harrison (27-4, 20 KO’s) next. Haye, 29, and his manager/trainer Adam Booth were trying to put together a unification bout with IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, but the negotiations have reportedly reached a point where no progress was being made. Klitschko now will move forward and face his IBF heavyweight mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin instead. Haye and Booth will be starting negotiations with Harrison’s promoter next week for a big money fight in the UK.

The fight won’t draw much interest for American boxing fans, but in the UK this will be a big fight because Harrison, the 2000 heavyweight Olympic Gold Medalist for Britain, is well known by boxing fans in the country. Harrison has never lived up to the expectations that boxing experts and fans had for him after turning pro in 2001. However, after losing to a small number of fighters, Harrison seems to have turned his career around in 2009, winning the Prizefighter competition. Then last month, Harrison stopped Michael Sprott in the 12th round with a dramatic come from behind knockout. Despite injuring his chest muscle early in the fight, which made Harrison pretty much a one-armed fighter, he came back in the 12th round to stop Sprott with a powerful left hand to the head that knocked him out.

Harrison and Haye were once said to be good friends. However, their relationship has taken a turn for the worse recently and now the fighters aren’t close. I think it’s safe to say that Harrison doesn’t particularly care for Haye and would like nothing better than to knock him out and take his WBA title. It would be an incredible career comeback if Harrison could somehow pull it off. He’s got the power in his left hand and the height with his 6’4 ½” frame. However, Harrison would have to use his reach and size to keep away from the fast hands and the powerful shots that Haye is capable of landing.

On the plus side, Harrison could control the fight if he uses his jab and left hand to stab Haye from the outside. Haye looked small and uncomfortable in his fight against former WBA heavyweight champion Nikolay Valuev last year, and he could be equally uncomfortable against Harrison, because he punches a lot harder than Valuev. Harrison, unlike Valuev, would have the power to stop Haye at a moment’s notice if he could land one of his big left hands.

A fight between Harrison and Haye would likely draw well on pay-per-view in the UK if the fight can be put together. This could be the biggest heavyweight clash in the country in years.

In fighting Harrison, Haye would be able to milk his WBA title a little more and have a much better chance of holding onto it than if he was to face Wladimir Klitschko or his brother WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko in a unification match.