By Sean McDaniel: The roadmap to a rematch with IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimi Klitschko (56-3, 49 KO’s) is an easy one for former World Boxing Association heavyweight champion David Haye (25-2, 23 KO’s) to follow if he wants to get another shot against Wladimir.

All Haye has to do is fight one or two good heavyweights, such as Chris Arreola and Ruslan Chagaev, and beat them. I don’t think Haye has to even look good in beating someone. He’s just got to win and show boxing fans that he’s got the talent to actually beat a real contender instead of carefully picked out old guys like he’d been doing to capture the WBA belt to begin with.

Wladimir needs cover if he gives a rematch to Haye. He can’t just give a rematch to him after the way he beat him on July 2nd, because boxing fans would rake Wladimir over the coals if he were to fight Haye again without him proving himself capable of beating someone worthy.

If Wladimir were to fight Haye without the British heavyweight at least partially redeeming himself in beating someone, it would make it look to a lot of boxing fans like Wladimir and Haye were just out to milk the boxing public for another pay per view bout.

Haye makes things all the worse with his talk of retirement on his 31st birthday in October. It gives one the impression that Haye is selling a product that is about to sell out and people have to purchase it before it’s gone. That makes more than a few people think Haye doesn’t really love the sport and is just out to make more money to cushion his retirement from boxing.

A rematch between Wladimir and Haye or a fight between Haye and Vitali Klitschko would be a big fight. It might not be quite as big as the first fight, but it would still be a sizable payday for both Haye and Klitschko. This is why it’s so bizarre that Haye hasn’t shown any interest in lining up an opponent like Arreola so that he can quickly get back in the ring with one of the Klitschko brothers.

Has Haye lost his nerve or did we all misjudge him? Maybe he was always scary of facing quality guys, and that’s why he fought largely older heavyweights in their late 30s like Monte Barrett, Audley Harrison and John Ruiz.