By Jason Kim: Earlier today, it was announced that IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (54-3, 48 KO’s) had won the purse bid for his fight against unbeaten challenger Alexander Povetkin (19-0, 14 KO’s) for a fight that will take place in September. Meanwhile, WBA heavyweight champion David Haye (24-1, 22 KO’s) will now have to cool his heels and wait around if he wants to land a mega unification bout with Wladimir. If Haye and Wladimir are going to fight, it won’t be taking place until 2011.

Haye has been rumored to be fighting 38-year-old Audley Harrison next, although Haye recently came out in an interview and denied that he will be fighting him, saying he still wants to fight Wladimir. However, Haye has a weird way of showing that he wants to fight Wladimir, because he didn’t exactly jump at the chance at fighting Wladimir after Haye defeated 38-year-old John Ruiz in April.

Last year, Haye was set to fight Wladimir in June, but that came up with a back injury weeks before the fight, which made it impossible for Haye to make the June 20th fight date. Next, Haye had an opportunity to fight Wladimir’s older brother, WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko. Haye then backed out of negotiations and chose WBA heavyweight champion Nikolay Valuev to fight instead.

Haye won the fight, and it was assumed that Haye would immediately go after a unification bout with Wladimir. Instead, Haye chose to fight the aging Ruiz, whom he stopped in the 9th round. Haye, 29, says he plans on retiring by his 31st birthday. He turns 31 in October 2011, which means that Haye needs to speed up the pace that he’s pursuing both the Klitschko brothers if he wants to beat both of them and unify the heavyweight titles like he says he’s said in the past.

For Haye to fight both of the Klitschko brothers by his 31st birthday, Haye will have to fight Wladimir in early 2011, and then immediately start looking at setting up a match with Vitali if he wants to make it before his birthday. Of course, Haye can always throw out this nonsense about retiring by his 31st birthday and continue to fight on into 2012, and really try to make a mark on the heavyweight division.

Haye would be taking a chance that his hand speed will slow down somewhat and make him more vulnerable to being knocked cold. But that’s why fighters develop all around boxing skills, so when they lose something in one area, they can fall back on one of their other strengths.