David Haye Eyes Deontay Wilder For Vegas Debut
Apr 22, 2015 • 11:14 AM ET
By Terence Dooley
David Haye hasn’t thrown a punch in the professional ring since stopping Dereck Chisora in impressive fashion in the fifth-round at Upton Park in 2012, but the former cruiserweight and WBA heavyweight champion believes he can come back to the sport and present current WBC titlist Deontay Wilder with a stiff challenge.
Haye, 34, today told The Independent that he is aiming for a fight with the American champion; he believes that it would sell well in Vegas.
"I have never fought in Vegas," he said. "That's something I'd love to do. It's the capital of our sport. If you regard yourself as a headline act then you have to fight in Vegas. Now there is an opportunity."
He added: "He's (Wilder) a guy who's unbeaten. He's fighting on network TV in America, becoming a household name so hopefully that's a deal that can be done. All the dimensions are there. He has an aura about him. If I turned up half-hearted when we were sparring then I'd be sleeping. He's not a sparring partner who goes through the motions. He's trying to punch holes in your head from the first bell.
"As well as that, he's fast, he has loads of heart, loads of bottle. Everyone who has seen the footage of us sparring has said how good it would be if we were to get it on for real. He's the champ now. If I want to be the WBC champion I have to go over to America and get after this guy. That's a nice thought. I've never had an American to go after. It's always been a Russian, or a German/Ukrainian/Russian."
Haye also revealed that he is toying with the idea of linking up with the McGuigans—picking Shane out as a promising trainer whilst praising Barry for bringing boxing back to ITV. Haye worked with Adam Booth throughout his professional career, but the two seem unlikely to hook up again, which leaves Haye in the market for a new coach.
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