HAYE TO FIGHT VALUEV FOR WBA HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE

With a bout against Vitaly Klitschko all but a done deal, British heavyweight David Haye changed course at the last moment instead opting to fight Russian giant Nikolai Valuev for his WBA title.  The bout will take place in Germany on November 7th.  The move has fight observers scratching their head as to the reasoning behind the switch, and produced a livid reaction from Klitschko’s advisory team of Bernd Boente and Shelly Finkel.

Haye was already in full promotional mode when he announced the Valuev fight to the media:

"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. 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."

According to Klitschko’s team, a deal for a fight had been agreed upon in principle.  They started to realize something was amiss when Haye’s trainer/manager Adam Booth was reluctant to return a signed copy of the bout agreement and started refusing to take phone calls and text messages from Klitschko’s side.  Bonte gave his take on the situation in a statement to the media:

"Haye is saying it's a slavery contract and won't sign it after we agreed to everything. 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."

Shelly Finkel added:

"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."

Haye continued his fight promotional riff as he responded to the allegations from Team Klitschko:

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

"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.”

Booth had these thoughts on the situation implying that the fight was never a done deal and that Klitschko’s team is now trying to spin a story for favorable press coverage:

"Publicly the Klitschko camp may be perplexed but they know the fight was never on. 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."

With a scheduled mid-September clash with Haye no longer in the works, Klitschko’s management is now back to the drawing board trying to find an opponent for their fighter.