By William Mackay: David Haye sees WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko as fearing failure and not wanting to take a fight with him due to it possibly messing things up with his political career in his home country of Ukraine.

Haye told the telegraph.co.uk “There is so much riding on his political career, he wants to fight guys like Dereck Chisora, who can guarantee him a victory over. Fighting me is not in his interested. The world in Ukraine is that his people cannot afford for him to lose against me or not knock me out, as he has told the Ukrainian people he will do what his brother could not do and knock me out.”

Haye has a good point. It could possibly be a negative for Vitali’s political career to get beaten by Haye or fail to KO him. I still think Vitali would be alright because he is after all 40-years-old and has been on top of the division for so long. How can you blame a guy that old if he were to lose to a younger fighter like 31-year-old Haye. That’s not a chopped liver opponent and there would be no shame in getting beaten by him. It might make things better at least for Wladimir, because he could turn around and get a second fight with Haye and avenge Vitali’s loss if Vitali allowed Wladimir to face Haye instead of taking him on himself.

Haye thought he had a verbal agreement from Vitali last Saturday night when Vitali said he’d be interested in facing Haye next. However, Vitali’s manager Bernd Boete has dismissed the option of Vitali facing Haye next, said Haye on his twitter page. Haye wonders who’s in charge – Vitali or Boente. If Vitali wants the fight, he’ll obviously tell Boente to step aside so he can make the fight happen. Haye needs to chill out and wait to see what Vitali wants to do.