• Heavyweight

Haye cites politics as Klitschko obstacle

David Haye wants his chance against Vitali Klitschko © PA Photos

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David Haye claims Vitali Klitschko's political ambitions in his native Ukraine are proving the stumbling block to the British fighter challenging the reigning WBC heavyweight title holder for his belt.

Klitschko's camp have claimed that Haye's financial demands are the reason why the two have not yet agreed to fight, but former WBA title holder Haye believes it is the 40-year-old's ambitions outside the ring that are the real cause of a failure to set a date.

"I think Vitali wants to fight me, because he has got a lot of pride. But I think he's had a lot of money invested in him to become the mayor of Kiev, and potentially the president of Ukraine, and his advisers, and the people who do his negotiating aren't going to let Vitali's ego get in the way of something that could potentially cost him tens of millions of pounds," Haye told The Telegraph.

"There is so much riding on his political career, he wants to fight guys like Dereck Chisora, who he can guarantee a victory over.

"Fighting me is not in his interests. The word in Ukraine is that his people cannot afford for him to lose against me, or not knock me out, as he has told the Ukrainian people he will do what his brother could not do and knock me out.

"We agreed the terms in December. We agreed the purse and the terms. We asked for the contract to come over to us, but it didn't happen for whatever reason. Then the fight with Chisora was announced.

"Then they got a whole new calculator out, and started saying that German broadcaster RTL were not paying them as much as they thought they were going to get to fight me - which I don't believe - and now here we are.

"I've already agreed the finances for the fight. But all of a sudden I am asking for too much money and supposedly making crazy demands.

"I have agreed to one of my lowest purses for a heavyweight title fight. I understand I'm not the champion now so I can't demand the type of money I would as champion."

Haye announced his retirement in October after losing his WBA belt to Wladimir Klitschko last July in Hamburg, Germany.

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