• Boxing

Booth lashes out at 'arrogant' Klitschko brothers

In his last fight, David Haye crushed Audley Harrison at the MEN Arena © PA Photos

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David Haye's trainer and manager Adam Booth has launched a scathing attack on the Klitschko brothers, insisting their "arrogant" negotiations are to blame for the failure to agree a mega-fight with his charge.

On Monday, Wladimir Klitschko stepped up his pursuit of Haye by claiming that July 2 was set for their showdown and goaded the Brit by declaring all he has to do is say 'yes' for the fight to be made.

However, Booth has hit back at Klitschko's latest verbal volley, labelling it as "one-upmanship publicity".

"David and me are tired of the publicity that Klitschko keeps continuing to spout," Booth told Sky Sports News. "I haven't heard anything from the Klitschkos since the new year when they told me they were going to be fighting Dereck Chisora next instead of David, after having giving them everything they wanted.

"[It was] a total waste of time, we never got to the contract stage and it's so far from being a completed deal because they were looking for any reason not to make the fight last time we negotiated.

"They said 50-50 we said 'fine', even though David brings more to the table, they said it has to be on RTL even though RTL would pay less than our German broadcaster, so we said 'fine', how much are you putting into the pot from RTL, and they say 'we're not telling you'. It's one-upmanship publicity and it's just a bit tedious and a bit tiring as far as I'm concerned. That's the kind of logic you get when you're dealing with that level of arrogance."

Haye is currently in talks with Ruslan Chagaev - the WBA mandatory challenger - over a potential clash in May. With Wladimir due to step into the ring with Dereck Chisora on April 30, any potential bout with Haye would not be able to take place until later in the year. Haye has made it clear he will retire before his 31st birthday in October - meaning time is running out for the pair to overcome these persistent stumbling blocks.

Klitschko has reaffirmed his desire to fight Haye in early July but, with Haye's third defence of his WBA title pencilled in for May, Booth has scoffed at Wladimir's plans.

"David is a WBA champion and if they think the WBA are going to let their championship sit and rot on the shelf, while he goes about his business, that's just another indication of how arrogant they are," he said. "They don't know how to negotiate a 50-50 fight because they've never been involved in one.

"He had 50-50, walking out second, being in the red corner...David just wanted to get into the ring. "Even then he said, no thanks we're going to fight Dereck Chisora. Then he came out with excuses like it was Sky's fault for not pushing Amir Khan's fight around.

"The level of arrogance is unbelievable and we're sick and tired of it. If he wants the fight, get into the ring with David next. David's fighting in May, Wladimir's fighting in April. That gives David enough time to fight in October, if Wladimir wants to get in the ring with him.

"But the negotiations we had last time was the first time I believed he doesn't want to get in the ring with David."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.