By Kevin Mitchell, Guardian.co.uk
David Haye and the Klitschko brothers, who between them hold the four world heavyweight titles, seem destined to annoy each other until they retire – or meet in the ring.
"Which one?" was Haye's response when reminded that one of his Ukrainian irritants has again accused him of having a glass jaw and no cachet in the US. "Wladimir?" he said, when provided with the answer. "Come on. How many times has he been knocked out? I've never been on the floor for more than eight seconds in my whole life. Ask him that same question."
Haye, unsurprisingly, gives the ordinary American "Fast" Eddie Chambers some chance when he challenges the younger Klitschko for his IBF and WBO versions of the title in Düsseldorf tomorrow. "I've only seen Chambers fight once," Haye said, "when he lost against Alexander Povetkin [widely, on points in 2008]. He looked OK. It was a close fight. He didn't get beaten up."
It was not that close, although Chambers got in some clean shots in the early rounds before tiring. He does not bring much to the ring but a respectable CV.
Haye added: "He seems like the typical Wladimir opponent. In that fight [an IBF title eliminator in Berlin], he threw a couple of nice, sharp punches but he's the same as all the others Wladimir picks: he walks in a straight line, hands up high, takes the punches.
"Whenever the Klitschkos pick opponents who punch back, things go pear-shaped for them. They've got enough experience now to know which opponents to pick. For instance, Vitali is fighting Albert Sosnowski [in defence of the WBC title in Gelsenkirchen on 29 May]. He's the ideal opponent for a Klitschko, someone small, hands high, tough and durable, makes him look good. But it's like hitting the heavy bag. The public aren't fooled by that."
As for Klitschko's criticism that Haye's second defence of his WBA title, against the 38-year-old American John Ruiz in Manchester on 3 April, is not being shown live in the US, Haye said: "He [Klitschko] is not the draw in the States that he thinks he is. When we negotiated [for their aborted fight last March], he said: 'You bring nothing to the table.' But, when the fight fell through, UK television only paid him a few thousand pounds. HBO pulled out completely. If he fights me, it's guaranteed to be on prime-time television everywhere in the world."
Will that fight happen? "First time round, I wasn't the champion. I'm the champion now. I'm just hoping that he recognises that, and doesn't come with the same mindset to the negotiating table because, if he does, it just won't happen."
Yet, however much Haye derides the Klitschkos, he knows they are his pension. And he could not resist a final dig.
"Ideally," he said, "I'd like to fight them in the UK, because everyone knows the German boxing atmosphere is crap. It's just dull. I'd hate to have one of my defining fights in front of a bunch of boring Germans." Over to you, Wladimir. Or Vitali.
Source: guardian.co.uk
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