• Boxing

Haye insists he 'will' fight the Klitschkos

ESPN staff
October 20, 2010
David Haye is the WBA heavyweight champion © Getty Images
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WBA heavyweight champion David Haye is adamant that he 'will' fight both Klitschko brothers in the near future.

Haye has found himself in the firing line after failing to agree a bout against either of the Ukrainians this year, despite both camps insisting that there was a desire for the fights to happen.

Negotiations broke down because of a contract dispute, meaning that the pugilists had to look elsewhere to defend their heavyweight titles - Wladimir Klitschko faces Dereck Chisora in December, while Haye takes on Audley Harrison the previous month.

"But the big fights always, always happen - myself and the Klitschkos, it will happen," Haye told BBC Sport. "There's loads of banter back and forth - he's ducking me, I'm ducking him - but we will fight and they're getting knocked out, and once I do that all the hype beforehand becomes irrelevant.

"There's a lot more behind the scenes the fans aren't aware of. Boxers call each other out but when it comes to signing the contract and the money situation, the television rights, the venues, no-one hears about that.

"They just hear one fighter say they want to fight another fighter and assume that means the other person's going to turn up on the day. There's so much more to it than meets the eye. To understand it takes years of knowing the characters, the different lawyers involved, it's a complex, complex game."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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