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News - Haye to Fight Valuev on November 7th!

David HayeFormer undisputed world cruiserweight champion David ‘The Hayemaker’ Haye has signed a contract to meet current World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight champion Nikolai Valuev on November 7, at a location yet to be decided.

Expected to take place in Germany, ‘The Hayemaker’s scheduled 12-rounder with ‘The Beast From The East’ will pair the world’s most exciting heavyweight commodity with the world’s largest.

“I am thrilled to announce that my dream of becoming world heavyweight champion will be realized on November 7, when I challenge the tallest and heaviest champion of all time, Nikolai Valuev,” said Haye.

Standing at a whopping 7-feet-2-inches tall and weighing a similarly staggering 320-pounds (23 stone), Russian-born Valuev is the tallest and heaviest ever world boxing champion. He has yet to be floored or knocked out in his 16-year professional career.

Currently 50-1 (34 KO) as a pro, ‘The Beast From The East’ has proven his heavyweight credentials with wins over John Ruiz (twice), Evander Holyfield and Monte Barrett. The 35-year-old will be making the second defence of his second reign as WBA champion when he meets British hope Haye.

“Valuev’s known as ‘The Beast From The East’ and there’s a reason he’s got that nickname - he’s a big, ugly, sweaty and hairy man from the Eastern Bloc,” said Haye, who has weighed as low as 189-pounds (13st 7lbs) in his seven-year pro career and stands at a comparatively minute 6-feet-3-inches.

“Valuev is eight stone heavier than me and a foot taller than me. David only needed a slingshot and a stone to flatten Goliath, and I’m convinced my right hand generates more power than a stone.”

Having spent the best part of 2009 negotiating contracts with both Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, Haye is eager to put the record straight on why he won’t be opposing one of the brothers in his next bout.

“There were reports in the German press that I had signed to fight Vitali Klitschko in September, but those reports were never true,” explained Haye.

“There have been long and exhausting discussions about the clash, but unfortunately I could never put my name to the fight contract the Klitschkos offered. The level of disrespect they have shown me throughout has left me feeling insulted.

“As for signing the contract, now that I realise just how much support and interest I have from the people in Germany, it would have been like selling my soul to the devil. I will not be a slave fighter.”

Despite the disappointment of the Klitschko bout falling through, Haye remains upbeat at the opportunity of knocking out Valuev and securing a future unification showdown with either brother.

“Once I have snatched Valuev’s _title_, I will be happy to battle out heavyweight supremacy with the Klitschkos, but only on equal and fair terms,” said Haye.

“As the WBA heavyweight champion, I should be able to meet them without having to sign my life away. Beating Valuev and taking his WBA _title_ is my best chance of securing unification.

“I only hope the Klitschkos still want to fight me after I have slayed ‘The Beast’.”

Set to concede upwards of 110-pounds (8st) in weight on November 7, Haye is a former WBC, WBA and WBO cruiserweight (200-pounds or 14st 4lbs) champion who thrives on the task in hand. Ever since emulating Holyfield and unifying the cruiserweight division in 2008, Haye has been earmarked as potential saviour of the heavyweights.

The 28-year-old Haye, 22-1 (21 KO), exploded on the world heavyweight scene last November with a fifth-round stoppage of common opponent Barrett. He promises a similar result on November 7.

“I can’t wait to step into the ring on November 7 and prove that size doesn’t matter,” said Haye. “Mark my words: I will be the first man to knock Nikolai Valuev out.”


*** ‘DAVID VS. GOLIATH’, the world heavyweight _title_ blockbuster between David Haye and Nikolai Valuev, will be screened live and exclusively in the United Kingdom on Sky Box Office ***

Haye to fight Valuev for WBC belt on Nov. 7

LONDON (AP)—Former cruiserweight champion David Haye said Thursday that he’s signed a contract to challenge Nikolai Valuev for the WBA heavyweight _title_.

Although no venue has been settled, the fight Nov. 7 is expected to take place in Germany.

“I feel I have what it takes to beat him,” Haye said. “I feel I’m a lot faster then he is. It’s a tall order but I feel that I can bring the _title_ back to Britain.”

Haye (22-1, 21 KOs) was scheduled to fight Wladimir Klitschko for the IBF _title_ last month before hurting his back in training. Haye was then close to a deal to fight Vitali Klitschko for the WBC _title_ before electing to fight Valuev instead.

“That was a big setback for me, that Wladimir Klitschko fight falling through,” said the 28-year-old Haye, who wore T-shirts on the press tour showing him holding the dismembered heads of the Klitschko brothers. “My back’s healthy now and I’m feeling good.”

The outspoken Briton has only had only two fights at heavyweight and will be taking on the tallest and heaviest world champion in history.

Haye will be nine inches shorter and up to 100 pounds lighter than the 7-foot, 320-pound Valuev, who won the vacant _title_ by beating John Ruiz last fall. Valuev (50-1, 34 KOs) made his only defense against Evander Holyfield in December, a fight many people believe he lost.

“I saw the guy actually fight when I was 16 years old at Battersea Town Hall (in London),” Haye said. “When he came out of the ring I went up next to him and I couldn’t believe human beings got that big. And now I am fighting him.

“I have got to get inside him and outmaneuver him. Big heavyweights punch a lot harder, but they punch a lot slower, so I can see everything that’s coming.”

Vitali Klitschko’s manager, Bernd Boente, said Thursday that Haye had turned down an offer to fight in September in Frankfurt so that he could fight Valuev, considered by many a less formidable opponent than the Klitschko brothers.

Haye hasn’t fought since knocking out Monte Barrett in November.

Haye strikes deal to fight Valuev Nov. 7

By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com


David Haye will get a heavyweight _title_ shot but it won't come against Vitali Klitschko, as was in the works.

Instead, the former cruiserweight champion signed to challenge heavyweight titlist Nikolai Valuev on Nov. 7 in Germany after snubbing the deal to fight Klitschko, Haye trainer and manager Adam Booth told ESPN.com on Wednesday.David Haye will fight heavyweight champion Nikolai Valuev after pulling out of deals to fight both Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko in the course of less than two months.

The revelation marked the end of a curious day. Klitschko's manager, Bernd Boente, and adviser Shelly Finkel couldn't reach Booth to finalize a deal they thought they had agreed to for Klitschko and Haye to meet Sept. 12 at the 55,000-seat Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt, Germany. The fight would have had live television coverage on HBO in the United States.

"I am thrilled to announce that my dream of becoming world heavyweight champion will be realized on Nov. 7 when I challenge the tallest and heaviest champion of all time, Nikolai Valuev," the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Haye said of the 7-foot, 320-pound Russian giant. "Valuev's known as 'The Beast From The East' and there's a reason he's got that nickname. He's a big, ugly, sweaty and hairy man from the Eastern Bloc. David only needed a slingshot and a stone to flatten Goliath and I'm convinced my right hand generates more power than a stone."

Unable to reach Booth, Boente was livid even before realizing that Haye had taken another fight.

"The fight is definitely off," he told ESPN.com from Germany. "Now we have to plan our next step."

Boente said Klitschko (37-2, 36 KOs) would line up another opponent for September, possibly American contender Cristobal Arreola for a fight in the United States, although talks would have to move quickly.

Negotiations for Klitschko-Haye were difficult but Boente said they had reached an agreement for the bout. Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions, Haye's American promoter, said two weeks ago that they had reached a deal. Yet the contracts went unsigned by the Haye camp as it quietly made the deal with Valuev promoter Sauerland Event instead.

Boente said Booth received the final draft of a contract they had agreed to but refused to sign it or return telephone calls, e-mails and text messages from Boente and Finkel.

"Haye is saying it's a slavery contract and won't sign it after we agreed to everything," Boente said. "The contract we agreed on is on their desk and they don't sign it. From [Wednesday] morning on, they don't answer us. This is the worst I have seen in negotiating. We have not heard from them. This is so amateurish. How little class do they have? I really prefer to negotiate with people like Don King or Peter Kohl, who are tough, but at least you can talk to them and negotiate. This guy has no idea what he is doing. Haye has the right trainer maybe, but not the right manager."

Haye and Booth had a different story.

"There were reports in the German press that I had signed to fight Vitali Klitschko in September, but those reports were never true," Haye said. "There have been long and exhausting discussions about the clash, but unfortunately I could never put my name to the fight contract the Klitschkos offered. The level of disrespect they have shown me throughout has left me feeling insulted. As for signing the contract, now that I realize just how much support and interest I have from the people in Germany, it would have been like selling my soul to the devil. I will not be a slave fighter.

“

I understand the business. If you're making a deal and you want to back out, just say it. But don't do it like this. [Booth] doesn't even have the guts to answer our phone calls.
” -- Vitali Klitschko's adviser Shelly Finkel

"Once I have snatched Valuev's _title_, I will be happy to battle out heavyweight supremacy with the Klitschkos, but only on equal and fair terms. I only hope the Klitschkos still want to fight me after I have slayed 'The Beast.'"

Although Booth didn't speak to the Klitschko camp on Wednesday, he said he had a heated conversation with HBO's Kery Davis over the fight falling through. HBO had made it an important part of its fall schedule.

"Publicly [the Klitschko camp] may be perplexed but they know the fight was never on," Booth said. "They have overstated the position. We never once said it was done. There have been ups and downs, but in the final analysis, David made the decision for what he feels is the best for his career. They have our final position. I had to do what was best for David. He was always unhappy with the contract for the Klitschko fight. He's a young man trying to fulfill his dreams and he wants to do it the way he wants to do it."

Boente has been down this road with Haye and Booth before. After a difficult negotiation, Haye signed to challenge unified titlist Wladimir Klitschko, Vitali's younger brother, on June 20 at a 60,000-seat stadium in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. The fight was originally supposed to take place in England, but the stadium deal Booth promised never materialized and the two sides reworked the deal.

However, three weeks before the fight, Haye, claiming a back injury, withdrew. Many believed his pullout had nothing to do with an injury but rather the impending bankruptcy of Setanta, the British sub_script_ion sports network that was on the hook for Haye's entire purse, and he was worried he wouldn't be paid for the fight.

With Setanta out of business in England and Wladimir Klitschko scheduled for a mandatory defense in the fall and unable to reschedule with Haye, Haye turned to Vitali instead and the negotiations began in late June.

The fight was supposed to be televised on pay-per-view in the United Kingdom by Sky Box Office, the British equivalent to HBO PPV. Boente said that the reluctance of Haye and Booth to sign might have to do with poor pay-per-view sales of last week's Amir Khan-Andreas Kotelnik fight on Sky Box Office. Most of Haye's purse for the fight was not guaranteed, but instead _base_d on how well the pay-per-view sold in the United Kingdom, Boente said.

Valuev-Haye will be televised by Sky Box Office in the U.K., but terms of Haye's deal for that fight have not been disclosed.

Booth denied the accusation and said that Haye's camp simply believed the fight with Valuev was better for Haye (22-1, 21 KOs), who hasn't fought since moving up to heavyweight and stopping a faded Monte Barrett in five rounds in November.

The Klitschko camp isn't buying it.

"Everything was OK, we thought," Finkel said. "The only thing up in the air was what little technical things had to be finished between Sky and [German broadcaster] RTL. They were very minor and had nothing to do with the important deal points. All of a sudden [Booth] and his lawyer became unavailable. But we got a letter from the lawyer saying things were fine on all points except the technical issues [between broadcasters].

"I understand the business. If you're making a deal and you want to back out, just say it. But don't do it like this. [Booth] doesn't even have the guts to answer our phone calls."

Dan Rafael covers boxing for ESPN.com.

Wladimir: Haye unprofessional!

Wladimir Klitschko has ripped David Haye and his team for pulling out of a September 12 fight against his brother Vitali Klitschko in Frankfurt. “Already during the negotiations for my June fight, we realized quickly that Haye and Booth are very unprofessional. Booth might be a good trainer but as a manager he is simply incompetent. David always had a big mouth and tried to offend us with ridiculous self-made t shirts. But when it comes up to step into the ring and show what he’s got, he runs away. He even admits that fighting Valuev is the easier way. For me Haye is a little, inexperienced kid who is afraid of his own courage. Doubtless, my brother would have knocked him out within the first four rounds.”

Bernd Bönte, Managing Director of the Klitschko Management Group, added “First of all, I feel sorry for the team of the Commerzbank-Arena and for the boxing fans in the Frankfurt region. We will try to set up another Klitschko fight in this wonderful arena as soon as possible. Also for us, the cancellation was very surprising as we got informed about it through the media. Haye’s manager Adam Booth did not even have the courage to give me a call personally and tell me about their decision – for me a sign of his inexistent class. Background of the pull-out are definitely the bad pay-per-view-TV figures of BSkyB in England.

“Haye and his manager, whose home _base_ is in the Turkish part of Cyprus for fiscal reasons, seem to have realized all of a sudden, that we have a global economic depression and English boxing fans are not that easily willing to pay 15 pounds for a bout. All the excuses of adhesion contracts are complete rubbish as Haye had already signed the same contract for the fight against Wladimir in June, which also contained a usual rematch clause and a pure Klitschko option. And for that fight he also pulled out.

“By the way, Vitali and myself attended Haye’s last fight against Monte Barrett at the O2 Arena in London. There were possibly 6,000 fans in a 20,000 seat arena. The guy is not a big draw in England at all. We were always surprised that he expected to get 2.7 million pounds out of the English pay-per-view sales for a fight against Vitali or Wladimir,” concluded Bönte.

Klitschko Management Group has already started negotiating with potential opponents for Vitali’s next _title_ defense.

Haye runs his mouth, then just runs
by Dan rafael

• Although the way David Haye and trainer/manager Adam Booth went about snubbing Vitali Klitschko in favor of Nikolai Valuev was underhanded and unprofessional, it may turn out to be a smart move because Haye has a way, way, way better chance to beat Valuev than Klitschko. After all, Valuev couldn't deal with the movement of the ancient Evander Holyfield, who is much slower, much older and not nearly the puncher that Haye is.

But the way Haye dealt with Klitschko was pathetic. Had Haye simply taken one deal over the other without all the drama, that would be one thing. No problem.

Instead, he strung Klitschko along for weeks while talking crap about him -- and his brother, Wladimir Klitschko, before bailing on him, too, last month -- only to double-deal behind his back and then pull out of a fight that had been agreed upon. I talked to Booth and, frankly, I didn't believe him when he said they didn't have a deal. His story sounded like the dog had eaten his homework. I've followed this process every step of the way, and I believe Klitschko's team of Bernd Boente and Shelly Finkel when they say they had a deal. Say what you want about them, but they are professionals, they've negotiated a zillion fights and they made a compelling case that the deal was done.

The ironic thing here is that Haye, who hasn't fought since November, against a faded Monte Barrett, has never accomplished anything of note as a heavyweight to have deserved a _title_ fight in the first place -- except run his mouth and make himself look like a fool. He had fights with both Klitschkos on a silver platter. There are a lot of heavyweights who would give anything for a shot at one of them. Haye had a chance at both and _b_link__ed twice, punking out and running away like he was scared. Ultimately, Haye only talked the talk and couldn't bring himself to even try to walk the walk.