15.12.08

Report: Haye, Vitali Klitschko Reach Deal to Fight in June

Former cruiserweight champion David Haye got his feet wet as a heavyweight by knocking out Monte Barrett, but he's always had his eye on the big fish of the division - champion brothers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko. As it turns out, he won't have to wait too much longer to face one of them.

Haye told media outlets in his native Great Britain on Sunday night that he has reached an agreement to face Vitali Klitschko this coming June. The bout will take place in London, which is Haye's home turf but also the site where Klitschko won his first world title by knocking out Herbie Hide in June 1999.

Klitschko's last loss came in 2003 at the hands of another British fighter, Lennox Lewis (fighting for the final time), when a nasty cut caused him to take a TKO loss despite leading on all three cards at the time of the stoppage. He looked sharp while dispatching Samuel Peter in nine rounds two months ago after nearly four years of inactivity.

Barrett had his moments against Haye, who often seems to be on the edge of disaster before dropping his opponents. Haye has won five matches in a row by knockout dating back to November 2006, but he'll give up over four inches and numerous pounds when he takes on Klitschko.

2 comments:

uatu said...

It's put up or shut up time for Haye if this fight comes off. I must say I like Vitali to win.

uatu said...

Also, it will be interesting to see the betting odds on this fight. I am going to assume that Vitali is the betting favorite, but I am not really sure. This fight is so far away, it will be interesting to see who that benefits. Both of these guys get themselves in excellent shape, but Vitali gets hurt so often, who knows if this fight will actually happen and when it will actually happen.