By Ruslan Chikov
WBO/IBO/IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko took some time out to speak with Konstantin Ustyantsev about the rematch against Samuel Peter on December 11, the situation that took place with Alexander Povetkin being replaced and David Haye's refusal to make a deal for a fight.
On the subject of Povetkin, he was set to fight Klitschko on September 11, but was later replaced by Sam Peter. It was first claimed that Povetkin was ill, then the Russian fighter's trainer, Teddy Atlas, went on live television and stated that he withdrew Povetkin because he wasn't ready for an opponent of Klitschko's stature. Klitschko doesn't fully blame Povetkin. He blames his trainer and management and advised Povetkin to think for himself.
"Povetkin is already over 30-years-old. His resume includes an Olympic gold medal, but still no world title. I think that at his age it's time to actually start making his own decisions, and not be led around by his manager and trainer. By the way, I'm wondering if Alexander's representatives can explain his fight with Bruce Seldon, held in Philadelphia a few weeks after the information came out that Povetkin was having problems with his health. Even more interesting is the statement made by Teddy Atlas during one of his interviews, in which he made it clear that his fighter was not ready yet," Klitschko said.
"They had two opportunities to fight for the title with world champion, and twice they withdrew from the fight. For this they were punished, and I think they deserved it. I do not know how much time will it take now for Alexander to reclaim his position in the [IBF] rankings. He was an Olympic champion, a promising unbeaten boxer, who twice won the right to a championship fight. I wish him luck in and outside of boxing."
Then there is Klitschko's British rival David Haye. Klitschko made the WBA champion a 50-50 offer. Haye never replied to the offer that was put on the table. Haye has claimed Klitschko did not want to split the profits from his deal with German television network RTL.
"In April of this year, I formally made a proposal to Haye for a fight, which millions of fans around the world are waiting on. I said: "David, let's do it!" The fee I offered was a 50/50 split, but Haye refused. More precisely, he kept silent, ignoring my messages. I believe that the way Haye acted, it was a basic lack of respect, especially to the fans," Klitschko said.
That brings Klistchko to the rematch with Peter. Five years ago Klitschko won a twelve round decision over Peter, but during the contest the Nigerian heavyweight knocked Klitschko down three times.
"After losing to Brewster and Sanders, I needed a fight with and invincible opponent, and that was Peter. He taught me a great lesson. It was a difficult and very important fight in my career. I can't deny it, but thanks to that victory, I began to rise from the depths and managed to reach new heights. The first fight with Peter was sort of a push for a new direction," Klitschko said.
"The fight was very important to me. At that time, Sam was considered a very promising fighter, his record was perfect. I remember before our battle, he and his manager Ivaylo openly stated that I would become another victim of the Nigerian Nightmare. It spurred me and forced to work with renewed dedication. I very seriously went to training camp, and brought in major sparring partners. I was so focused that sometimes during the sparring sessions, I could not calculate the force of my punches and inflicted injuries to the sparring partners. For example, in Las Vegas in his first sparring, I broke the nose of Charles Shufford and after this incident he no longer came around."
"This time I will try to win as quickly as possible. I will dominate."
