• Vitali Klitschko v Dereck Chisora

Haye delay made me turn to Chisora - Vitali

Vitali Klitschko is looking forward to facing Dereck Chisora © PA Photos

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WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko has revealed that he decided to arrange a fight with Dereck Chisora because negotiations with David Haye were taking to long.

Klitschko will fight Chisora on February 18 in Germany, despite the fact the Brit has lost two of his last three fights - most recently in a controversial decision loss against Robert Helenius. Many in boxing were surprised to see the older Klitschko give the 27-year-old a world title fight, but Vitali has revealed a combination of factors led to Chisora being awarded his chance.

"Last year he was scheduled to fight with [brother] Wladimir," Klitschko said, according to Boxing Scene. "For obvious reasons the fight never took place, but my brother pointed out that interest really grew. Therefore, in our point of view, Chisora was always a potential opponent.

"After the September victory over Tomasz Adamek I was having difficulty finding a new, worthy opponent. Yes, there were talks with David Haye, but as you know [such talks] can last a very long time. So we made a decision on Chisora."

Vitali revealed that some Haye-esque tactics also helped Chisora's cause. Believing Chisora actually beat Helenius, the Ukrainian also noted that neither brother has forgotten some of the strong words Chisora used in the build-up to the original fight with Wladimir, which was cancelled due to injury.

"First, in my opinion he won the fight with Helenius. Chisora had the advantage and earned a draw at the very least," he added. "Second, Dereck made a decision to become like David Haye and rattle Wladimir and myself with many unpleasant words. The Brit is very ambitious and proud.

"Naturally Chisora wants to prove to myself and show that he was better than Helenius. Can there be any better incentive to prove that point than a fight for the WBC belt?"

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