David Haye could figure in one of the most lucrative fights in the history of boxing en route to becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, according to his American agent, Richard Schaefer.
Schaefer, the chief executive of Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, estimates the potential pot at the end of a two-year rainbow as "tens of millions of pounds" as Haye seeks to capitalise on one of the biggest surprises in the heavyweight division since Hasim Rahman knocked out Lennox Lewis in 2001.
Already Haye has the American cable channel HBO chasing his signature, Schaefer revealed today, as well as the MGM Grand Casino, and he stands to make more money than anyone since Lewis with the World Boxing Association belt he ripped from the giant waist of Nikolai Valuev in Nuremberg on Saturday night. After a mandatory defence, probably in London at either the O2 or Wembley Stadium in the spring against the American John Ruiz, Haye wants a unification fight against either of the Klitschko brothers, Wladimir or Vitali, who hold the three other versions of the titles between them.
The 29-year-old champion says he will retire in two years after unifying the title and defending it a couple of times. He did not rule out a fight with his fellow Londoner Audley Harrison, the Olympic gold medallist who revived his flagging professional career recently by winning the Prizefighter series.
"I think a Haye-Klitschko fight could become one of the biggest fights ever," Schaefer said at Haye's first London press conference since returning from Germany to an ecstatic and unexpected reception at Stansted Airport on Sunday night.
"Right now, the biggest fight ever, financially speaking, was Oscar De La Hoya against Floyd Mayweather, which generated close to $150m in revenues. Haye-Klitschko could certainly match that, if not surpass it, because it would be an event of global proportions."
Haye's trainer and manager, Adam Booth said, "I've had Wembley stadium contacting me already." He added: "David Haye and a Klitschko will be one of the biggest fights in heavyweight history. That's for sure. First things first: get drunk, recover and beat John Ruiz."
Haye stunned the 7ft, 22st 7lb Valuev – as well as the boxing world – by getting a majority verdict, 114-114, 116-112, 116-112, on the judges' scorecards. It is thought the fight drew nearly a million pay-per-view hits on Sky Box Office, netting the new champion close to £5m.
But that, according to Schaefer, is only the start for Haye. "We were waiting for an entertainer to be heavyweight champion of the world again. The last time that really happened was many, many years ago and that was Muhammad Ali."
Source: Guardian.co.uk
David Haye
(Source of image: http://www.europeboxing.com/Euronews/2008/Sports_Network/david_haye_8mar2008.jpg)
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