IBF, WBO, IBO and “The Ring“ World Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko and WBA Champion David Haye have both agreed to participate in a unification fight this summer. The fight will happen either on June 25 or July 2. In Germany, potential venues could be the football arenas of German Bundesliga clubs Dortmund, Kaiserslautern or Schalke.
Wladimir Klitschko: “I am happy that a fight Klitschko vs Haye has finally been realized. It is my brother’s and my dream to unify all four belts in the Klitschko family. I will not let this chance go by. Haye has twice dropped out of a fight with us and now he has already started to do a lot of trash talking again. It is time to let our fists speak!”
David Haye: “I always believed we’d one day fight and I am glad we have cut through the nonsense and put together the most important fight in the heavyweight division,” he said. “This is an inevitable fight with an inevitable conclusion. Wladimir Klitschko is getting violently knocked out.”
The last heavyeight unification match took place at Madison Square Garden New York in 2008, when IBF and IBO World Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko faced off with WBO Champion Sultan Ibragimov and scored a unanimous decision. Against Haye, it will be Wladimir Klitschko’s 19th world championship title fight. The professional record of the 1996 Olympic Gold medalist is 55 wins (49 KOs) with only 3 losses.
David Haye became WBA World Heavyweight Champion in 2009 when he dethroned Russian Nikolay Valuev. Since then he successfully defended his title twice. Before that, Haye was the dominating figure in the cruiserweight division holding the WBC, WBA and WBO titles. Haye’s impressive record is 25 wins (23 by KO) and one defeat only.
Bernd Bönte, Managing Director of Klitschko Management Group: “I am glad that these extremely difficult and long negotiations are over and we are able to present the fight that boxing fans all over the world want to see. It is going to be not only a boxing match but an event the entire sports world will be following.”
Tom Loeffler, K2 Promotions: “We have promoted the most heavyweight championship fights of any promoter over the last decade in the largest venues in the US and in Germany. This will be the biggest and most anticipated heavyweight championship fight since Tyson vs Lewis and Wladimir Klitschko fighting David Haye has really brought a lot of excitement to the division.”
The final date and venue of the fight will be announced soon.