Haye vs Klitschko??

[Ben_Itez]

London's world cruiserweight champion David Haye has held talks with world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko over a possible title fight this year.

The pair went for a meal on Thursday night to talk about a potential bout.

The Ukrainian told BBC London 94.9: "He is looking forward to switching to heavyweight, but it's not an easy step.

"There are exceptions like [Evander] Holyfield, who was a very successful heavyweight, so we'll see what David Haye is going to do."

Haye holds the WBC, WBA and WBO cruiserweight belts after beating Enzo Maccarinelli at the O2 Arena last month.

But he plans to vacate his belts in the next few months as he prepares to step up to the heavyweight division, in which he has fought only once before.

Klitschko, the IBF and WBO heavyweight champion, wants the fight to be in London.

He added: "I'm looking forward to fighting in London again, because London, like Great Britain in general, has such a great boxing community, it's amazing."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/7366493.stm

Could be a great fight.....maybe Haye should have a couple of fights at Heavyweight first though before he fights the champ.

[PTP]

I like Haye, great boxer and great attitude - as you say tho surely he needs 4-5 decent fights at heavyweight before going in to the big one, he has plenty of time why not wait 1-2 years first.

[felly]

I agree, think Haye should deffo have a few fights before taking on Klitschko.
I remember reading a while back about a possible fight between Haye and Rahman.
Hopefully Haye can add some excitment to the division.

[Parm]

yup Haye does look impressive, but a title shot for his first fight? he is putting a lot of pressure on himself at a very early stage, why not see how he fares first in 3/4 fights and then go for the title? It'll only be say another year of so before his shot.

[Shaggy]

Wladimir Klitschko says proposed talks with David Haye over a heavyweight world title fight came to nothing.

IBF and WBO belt-holder Klitschko said Londoner Haye, 27, the undisputed cruiserweight world champion, had to learn to "behave himself".

"Our meeting didn't even start, you can't talk to him, it's impossible, he's nuts," Klitschko told BBC Sport.

"He has great potential, but he has to put some weight on and get some fights as a heavyweight. Then we'll see."

Klitschko, 32, added that any match with Haye could not take place this year because he has mandatory defences to honour.

"This year is impossible because I have two (mandatories) in a row," said the Ukrainian, who is in London to promote the launch of the boxing charity, Fight for Peace.

"The WBO is going to be the next fight on 12 July (against America's Tony Thompson) and the IBF will be at the end of the year."

Haye has had one fight in boxing's blue riband division, a first-round stoppage of Poland's Tomasz Bonin last April, but plans to relinquish his cruiserweight belts soon and become a heavyweight full-time.

Klitschko has won 50 of his 53 professional encounters at heavyweight and is generally considered to be the most credible operator in a weak division.

"David Haye is a very loud guy," he said. "I was in New York and I heard him screaming from over here. But I can't have a conversation with this guy.

"His manager (and trainer) Adam Booth is a really nice guy and tried to calm him down, but we couldn't have a conversation, unfortunately it didn't work.

"He has to establish himself and let his fists talk, not just talk. None of the heavyweights made so much noise as him, but talk is cheap, he has to show what he can do.

"Will I see him in the ring or not? If he wants to accomplish his goal he has to go through me."

Haye called Klitschko's recent victory over Russia's Sultan Ibragimov "pitiful" and is convinced he can become Britain's first heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis retired in 2004.

"I'd fight Wladimir Klitschko in my next fight if I could after his fight against Ibragimov," said Haye.

"That was embarrassing and he wouldn't look forward to fighting someone with my kind of style - powerful, explosive and able to take him out with any shot.

"I'm 100% certain that I'll achieve more things at heavyweight than I have done at cruiserweight.

"I'm not looking at boxing into my 31st year, so I've got two-and-a-half years to get the job done. If the titles get unified, hopefully I'll just have to fight one guy."

[Parm]

I do think Haye is trying to avoid Audley style run of getting used to the division and wants to get in and make his mark. But I think he may get found out.

[the rev leeroy brown]

give him 1 more fight at heavy-weight level before challenging for the title. this is IMO the weakest of the weight divisions and haye could easily clean up and rule it for years to come. as i said, 1 more fight to aclimatise to the weight then challenge klitschko. he could beat him.