By Dan Ciminera: David Haye is helping murder the sport of boxing. After spending so long doubting him, I had come around to his fighting style and become something of a fan. In spite of the loud mouth, I thought he was exactly what the heavyweight division needed. An athletic chap, obviously putting the gym hours in. He’s dealt with everything that has been throw at him as a heavyweight with little trouble, and fought tactically superbly.

What is annoying me now is that he’s spent the past 3 years telling us how he is moving up to heavyweight, and needs a couple of tune-up fights so he can get ready to fight the Klitschkos. Well David, we are still waiting for you to fight one of them, let alone both! All this back and forth, dragging out the months until you can retire is not washing with anyone. Least of all, the British fans. It is no wonder that boxing fans are defecting to MMA!

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read again that David Haye’s manager, Adam Booth, has yet again denied that Haye has been offered a fight/date to dance with Wladimir! OK, they may not have heard directly, but Wladimir has released several public statements addressed to David Haye offering him dates, so how can Haye deny that? We all know you’re lying now David, so if you won’t get in the ring in June and prove your worth, do yourself and boxing fans a massive favour and don’t bother waiting til you’re 31, just go now. If your legacy means as much to you as you say, you’d be bending over backwards to make the fight happen.

I think Haye can beat both Klitschko brothers and in some decent style, as do a lot of people. This is why the fights have to happen! They all talk about their love for the sport and what not, but all any of these guys Haye, Mayweather etc are doing, is making a mockery of boxing by not fighting their publically recognized challengers. The Klitschos are no strangers to this, neither of them has fought anyone decent in years. They hold all the titles bar one and will only fight short, overweight nobodies who do not even have a punchers chance. I understand that they are highly thought of in their native Ukraine and surrounding areas. Maybe they have effectively duped their obviously less savvy boxing public into believing that these Americans are the best the world has to offer. I digress.

Boxers, and fans alike, complain that MMA is inferior and has no right taking ratings and fans away from boxing, but really, when none of the top guys are willing to take a fight where they have a chance of losing, and unless there is a gazillion dollars in TV money, boxers have nobody to blame but their own washed up champions, and PPV whores. Bring boxing back to domestic television and lets help bring the next generation through in a less greedy atmosphere, free from the “unbeaten-or-nothing” attitude of today. Then we may have more people watching regularly, and who are more willing to pay for the occasional PPV fight as long as the quality of the fight matches up to the hype, like they used to! Plus the more people watching, the more people there are, especially young kids who have been brainwashed into thinking boxing is “2 guys hugging each other”, who may be inspired to lace up a set of gloves and provide a future for the sport we love.