• Steve Bunce

Vitali snub leaves Haye gambling with future

David Haye needs to clear up the confusion over his future © Getty Images

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• Profile: Nathan Cleverly | David Haye | Vitali Klitschko

It would be fantastic if David Haye turned up at Vitali Klitschko's fight with Tomasz Adamek on Saturday, and he most definitely should - but, unfortunately, I don't think he will.

Vitali is the obvious return fight for Haye - if he wants to step back in and make the sort of money he made against Wladimir, then Vitali is the man.

And we shouldn't forget that in July the Klitschko brothers showed up in London, Wladimir said he'd grant Haye a rematch, and Vitali claimed he'd like to fight him. So if David doesn't appear for Vitali-Adamek, he's playing hard to get - and if he isn't there, he's going to be forgotten, it's as simple as that.

He made an appearance on the ITV game show Red or Black on Saturday which, by my reckoning, was his first public appearance since limping out of the ring against Wladimir. For me, that's a disappointing way to make his comeback.

The PR people around him have perhaps said: "Look, let's forget the boxing audience, because at the moment they don't like you, and they're not going to like you in the immediate future. Let's plug into the entertainment audience and, if and when we fight again, let's get them on board."

That's one way to go but, at the end of the day, he owes it to boxing fans - and people who bought his pay-per-view and paid through the turnstiles - to give an explanation for his recent silence, and to outline plans for the future. He will disagree.

I want to see him fight again - I still think Chris Arreola's a good opponent, as is Vitali, as is Tyson Fury (if Haye's willing to take a 97% pay cut).

If Adamek causes a shock and beats Vitali, then David's got no chance of facing the new champion. We know the way the Klitshckos work and, if Adamek wins, then he has to fight Wladimir. If he beats Wladimir, he has to fight Vitali. If he beats Vitali, he fights the promoter.

The thought of Adamek conquering Vitali and then signing to fight Haye later this year? That's pure fantasy - but Adamek could plausibly rip the WBC title from the Ukrainian. Adamek's put together a decent run of fights against solid heavyweights, and perhaps that's the sort of experience that David missed.

The Pole has fought a lot of big lumps - Kevin McBride, Michael Grant, Andre Golota - and that's a good track record for someome who, like Adamek, has moved up a division from cruiserweight.

Tyson Fury must keep Channel 5 onside © PA Photos

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Plus you always have to think that at some point a 40-year-old Vitali is going to look like an old man. Down the line his age is going to catch up with him. I'm not sure this is the fight, but it could very well be against a guy who, like Adamek, is smaller and quicker.

Firtha fine for Fury

Nicolai Firtha, who heard the final bell against Alexander Povetkin less than a year ago, is a perfectly respectable opponent for Fury. He's one of those guys who went the distance with someone who went the distance with someone (who went the distance with someone). There's nothing wrong with that, that's the way boxing works.

However, my fear is that after such a sensational terrestrial TV debut for Fury, this one won't live up to his battle with Chisora. There's so many guys out there who he could have fought - look at the type of names I've listed already - faded but still marketable contenders with stories and wild tongues. Perhaps Firtha fits in that category, but my feeling is that he doesn't. It's all about promoting a fight and a guy that went the distance with a Russian guy, who beat an Uzbek to win the World title is a long sell. Sadly, there is simply not enough time.

What's happened here is that a couple of deals have fallen through, and Firtha may have been the fourth name on the list of Mick Hennessy, Fury's promoter. It's not been easy and Mick has pulled one out of the bag to salvage the night. Now Channel Five need to plug it and plug it and plug it.

However, I feel that there should have been some more joined-up thinking in the negotiations process - and that isn't a criticism of Hennessy, Fury or Channel 5, who will show the fight - because there isn't enough time to build this one up and, if it got the right coverage and the right opponent, which doesn't mean a better opponent, then this fight could have earned five million viewers. It's no good blaming this and blaming that on Sunday morning after the fight. The date has been out there for over a month.

The three million eyes that Chisora-Fury got was a sensational effort, one that frightened the life out of people in TV sport. They couldn't believe it.

With the choice of Firtha, maybe they've lost some of that momentum now - but I reckon the bout will still attract plenty of viewers.

Hopkins not so Clever

So we've learned in the past week that Nathan Cleverly will take on Tony Bellew in October, with the winner potentially facing Bernard Hopkins. I don't think either of those two will be anywhere near ready to beat Hopkins in the next year or so, but they can't leave it for much longer because Hopkins will soon be in his Fifties!

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