by James Slater – WBA heavyweight champion David Haye is not in the least bit excited about this coming Saturday’s WBC heavyweight title fight between champ Vitali Klitschko and unbeaten challenger Kevin Johnson. In fact, if it were not for the fact that he wishes to watch as much of Vitali in action as he can so as to help get himself as adequately prepared as possible for the day when he gets in the ring with the giant, Haye would not even bother tuning in. This is what the 29-year-old Londoner has told the BBC anyway.
Haye, who defeated Nikolay Valuev to claim the WBA belt just over a month ago, has also ripped into the elder of the two Klitschko brothers by questioning “Dr Iron Fist’s” legacy.. Haye, who is never quiet about his possible rival opponents, wants to fight both Vitali and Ring magazine, IBF and WBO champion Wladmir next year, and it seems he is back to his taunting best, trying once again to talk his way into the fights he has previously pulled out of.
Haye, who says he wants to become a legend, says Vitali is leaving it late if he too wants to really leave his mark on the sport.
“Vitali is nearly 40 years of age now, and the clock is ticking,” Haye said. “There are probably one million dudes in America called Kevin Johnson, and beating one of them doesn’t make you an all-time great. Vitali’s greatest performance to date is a loss to Lennox Lewis. That’s his most memorable fight and the one result on his record that will be remembered in the history books.
“The Klitschkos don’t care about being great fighters, whereas I do.”
As formidable and as superb as Vitali Klitschko has looked since his cuts-enforced TKO loss to Lewis, Haye has a point – there aren’t a whole lot of other big names on the 38-year-old’s record. And most fans seem to think Vitali will have no trouble in handling “King Pin” Johnson on Saturday, but they also ask, as does Haye, “who is Kevin Johnson?”
On the other hand, if Vitali is interested in leaving behind a great legacy, who else could he fight right now so as to do so? It’s not like Klitschko is avoiding anyone, is it? Haye feels the two brothers have to beat him to prove their dominance, but if one or even both of the two giants did so, would that raise their profile amongst the all-time greats?
One thing is sure, a Haye Vs. Vitali fight would have generated a whole lot more interest than this Saturday’s Vitali Vs. Johnson affair. Haye laid into the upcoming fight, and called it unappealing.
“The Klitschkos may be big in Switzerland, but so are yodellers, and nobody wants to watch them fight,” Haye said. “It’s [Klitschko-Johnson] one of the most unappealing heavyweight title fights for a long time, and that’s saying something. The fact that a title fight between a Ukrainian and an American is being held in Switzerland tells you all you need to know about the appeal of this fight.
“Heavyweight title fights should be huge events, not an after-thought in a country most famous for producing Toblerones.”
It has to be said, some of Haye’s comments are pretty darn funny! One thing Haye is, is a sharp and witty person who attracts attention. And there’s no doubt about it; a Haye-Klitschko fight would be a huge event – as we know from the massive amounts of tickets his aborted fight with Wladimir shifted last summer.
Haye told The BBC he “wants to knock out both Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko next year,” and that he doesn’t care what order they fall in. Let’s hope that if the fight(s) can be made in 2010, Haye will actually be able to go through with them this time. Say what you want, but there is no hotter heavyweight title fight out there than a Haye Vs. Klitschko showdown.