• Boxing

Haye's hopes fade as Klitschkos agree Adamek deal

ESPN staff
January 26, 2011
Tomasz Adamek carries a 43-1 record, with 38 wins coming inside the distance © PA Photos
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David Haye's slim hopes of a unification battle against one of the Klitschkos have been dealt another blow, with Tomasz Adamek agreeing to fight one of the brothers in September.

WBA heavyweight champion Haye looks set to face mandatory challenger Ruslan Chagaev at some point during the first half of 2011, leaving him a small window to squeeze in another fight before retiring in October.

Trainer Adam Booth suggested that his charge would be open to facing Vitali, but that bout hinges on a number of variables - he would have to beat Odlanier Solis in March, then allow brother Wladimir to face Adamek.

Provided both of the Ukrainian siblings still hold their belts in September, they will make the decision over who takes on Adamek, who carries a 43-1 record with 38 wins coming inside the distance.

His promoter Kathy Duva took a swipe at the Haye camp by praising the smooth flow of negotiations over the bout. Haye and Booth have bemoaned the obstacles erected by the Klitschkos during talks that looked set to yield a July 2 showdown before suffering a dramatic collapse.

"I didn't have any of the problems other people talk about," said Duva. "I've had a long relationship with [Klitschko adviser] Shelly Finkel for something like 30 years and that probably helped.

"But when the time came to talk to Klitschko manager Bernd Boente, we were in synch right away. I know how to get a deal done. I didn't have any problem with them at all. And I had a fighter who said, 'This is what I want, please go out and get it.'"

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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