By Dan Ambrose: WBA heavyweight champion David Haye is saying that Emanuel Steward, the trainer for IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, spoke to him about wanting to train Haye after his fight against Wladimir this Saturday night, according to thesun.co.uk. Steward would be training Haye for a fight against Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir’s older brother. Steward, however, denies ever speaking to Haye about wanting to train him and we’re left wondering who’s telling the truth.

Haye said this about Steward: “Manny said he’d love to train me after I’ve bashed up Wladimir, his own fighter, on July 2nd. He reckoned if we joined forces I would be in prime position to take down his brother Vitali later in the year. He was deadly serious about it, too. I admire Manny but I feel I already have the best coach in world boxing in Adam Booth…It’s good to know he has as little faith in Wladimir Klitschko as I do.”

Wow! That’s pretty shocking stuff because if it were true it would seem that Steward is thinking past the Wladimir-Haye fight, as if Haye were going to win the fight.

Steward said “There is no truth in this at all.”

Could Haye be playing more mind games by trying to get at both Wladimir and Steward at the same time with this? If Wladimir were to believe this about Steward it could undermine their relationship at a crucial time right before the Haye-Wladimir fight on Saturday night. It’s hard to imagine Steward wanting to train Haye given that he’s the underdog in this fight and it would be like backing a long shot.