Going, Austria – World heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko has branded the retirement of Britain's David Haye as 'nonsense' as he prepares to face France's Jean-Marc Mormeck next month.
Klitschko, the IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO heavyweight world champion defends his titles against former cruiserweight Mormeck in Duesseldorf, Germany, on December 10.
In his last fight, Klitschko, 35, took the WBA title from Haye in Hamburg last July with a unanimous decision and the beaten British fighter then retired on his 31st birthday in October.
“It is actually nonsense to retire so early,” Klitschko told SID, an AFP subsidiary, from his training camp in the Austrian Alps.
According to reports, Haye may be lured back to the ring as a possible future opponent for the elder Klitschko brother Vitali, the WBC heavyweight world champion, with a possible fight ear-marked for next March.
Wladimir has ruled out a rematch with Haye, but insists he will not be taking Mormeck lightly as he plans to avoid adding the Frenchman to the three fighters who have beaten him as he looks for the 50th knock-out of his career.
“When Mormeck said, with a calm look, that he wants to become the first French world heavyweight champion, I was a little worried, and went quickly into the training camp,” admitted Klitschko.
Presuming Klitschko defends his titles, future opponents include either Russia's Alexander Povetkin, who faces Cedric Boswell of the USA in Helsinki on December 3, or Finland's Berlin-based Robert Helenius.
Britain's Dereck Chisora, who fights Helenius on the Povetkin-Boswell under-card, or Tyson Fury are other possible candidates, but Klitschko is just worrying about Mormeck.
“I'm not looking beyond this fight. I've never done otherwise.”
