With David Haye’s easy demolition of the hapless Audley Harrison over and done with, boxing fans can return to the number one question of the heavyweight division: will Haye take on a Klitschko, and if so, when and which one? Haye and the Klitschkos have been calling each other out for so long that this heavyweight match-up is now the #2 source of frustration for boxing fans, right after Floyd Mayweather’s refusal to fight Manny Pacquiao.
The answer to which one is unquestionably Vitali Klitschko, which I choose to read as a statement that the brothers think Vitali’s more power-oriented style is a better answer to David Haye‘s speed and explosiveness. Although Haye has been on the verge of fighting both brothers in the past, Vitali is the one taking point on calling Haye out, and Dr. Ironfist recently upped the ante in the wake of Haye’s knockout win by stating in clear language that he wanted to split the pot 50-50 and was willing to stage the fight anywhere. Klitschko implied that he preferred Madison Square Garden, which is no doubt an effort to secure backing from HBO. However, failing that, Klitschko is willing to cross the Channel and fight in the UK. If big Vitali means what he says, then it should remove any obstacles to a 2011 match-up, but will it? Three stumbling blocks remain in the way.
1) Haye’s Demands: The manager of both Klitschko brothers, Bernd Boente, said that Haye insists on keeping all the British TV revenue for himself. Unless HBO gets in on the act, the majority of the earnings for this event will come from Sky Pay-Per-View. If Haye demands that 50-50 means “you get your country and I get mine,” then Haye would get most of the money. For his part, Vitali Klitschko has dropped his past objections to a straight 50-50 split with all revenue in the pot, but seems unlikely to accept anything less.
The only encouraging sign in this deadlock has been Vitali’s indication that he is willing to travel to make the fight happen. Haye might be holding out for a larger share of some of the peripheral revenue, but if the Briton continues to demand more than half of the purse, it means that he is not really interested in fighting Vitali Klitschko after all.
2) Mandatory Challengers: If Vitali Klitschko vs. David Haye fight is not agreed upon soon, both boxers will need to look to settling their mandatory title defense for 2011. David Haye must defend his WBA strap against former champion Ruslan Chagaev. Big Vitali must defend his strap against the winner Odlanier Solis vs. Ray Austin. If given the chance, those fights will postpone matters until next summer or later and might combine with other factors to scuttle the entire proposition
3) Vitali Klitschko Suffers an Injury: Vitali Klitschko has endured an injury-prone career, so there is always the chance he will hurt himself in the gym badly enough to complicate a showdown with Haye. At age 39, it is probable that Dr. Ironfist campaigns on in professional boxing solely for a big money, high-profile bout with Haye, as he has previously hinted that he wanted to retire at the end of this year. If Vitali suffers a bad enough injury in training — and given his record and age that is a real possibility — he may simply decide to call it a day. That would leave the field open for Wladimir to step in.
The bottom line is that even if David Haye truly wants to make a fight with Vitali Klitschko happen in 2011, that ring date still might not come about.
