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LONDON (AFP) — David Haye was a frustrated man on Tuesday when American JD Chapman became the latest leading heavyweight to pull out of a showdown with the Briton at London's O2 Arena on November 15.
Haye, a former cruiserweight world champion, is desperate to defeat a top-10 ranked opponent in his quest to establish himself as one of the leading contenders for a fight with heavyweight title-holder Wladimir Klitschko.
But his plans suffered a setback when Chapman, ranked nine in the rankings of the World Boxing Association (WBA) and boasting a perfect professional record of 29 wins from 29 pro bouts, 26 inside the distance, withdrew despite agreeing a deal with Haye's manager-trainer Adam Booth.
"I had a phone call 10 minutes ago and I want to reveal my anger and frustration," Booth told a news conference here on Tuesday.
"The reason he didn't get on the flight, in his words, is: 'I'm not coming to England to get knocked out'.
"This is after agreeing a substantial amount of money for the fight.
"He is the third opponent in four days ranked in the top 10 to agree terms and then pull out of the fight. These fellows seem to be running away from, allegedly, a chinny cruiserweight.
"At 18 stone and standing 6ft 6ins, with a 29-fight unbeaten record, including 26 knockouts, what the hell is he running from a cruiserweight for. Hopefully he'll turn up on November 15."
Haye, who has relinquished his WBA, World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Organisation (WBO) cruiserweight titles, said of Chapman: "He's a big guy who comes to brawl and has never lost but I guess he looked at me and didn't fancy it. It's pretty frustrating."
The 27-year-old Londoner added: "He hasn't had any big-name opponents who you would recognise but he's never lost, never been put down and he's strong so I thought he would be the ideal opponent for an exciting fight.
"He's the same size as Klitschko and I wanted people to get the taste of what I can do to a big heavyweight."
Haye, a former cruiserweight world champion, is desperate to defeat a top-10 ranked opponent in his quest to establish himself as one of the leading contenders for a fight with heavyweight title-holder Wladimir Klitschko.
But his plans suffered a setback when Chapman, ranked nine in the rankings of the World Boxing Association (WBA) and boasting a perfect professional record of 29 wins from 29 pro bouts, 26 inside the distance, withdrew despite agreeing a deal with Haye's manager-trainer Adam Booth.
"I had a phone call 10 minutes ago and I want to reveal my anger and frustration," Booth told a news conference here on Tuesday.
"The reason he didn't get on the flight, in his words, is: 'I'm not coming to England to get knocked out'.
"This is after agreeing a substantial amount of money for the fight.
"He is the third opponent in four days ranked in the top 10 to agree terms and then pull out of the fight. These fellows seem to be running away from, allegedly, a chinny cruiserweight.
"At 18 stone and standing 6ft 6ins, with a 29-fight unbeaten record, including 26 knockouts, what the hell is he running from a cruiserweight for. Hopefully he'll turn up on November 15."
Haye, who has relinquished his WBA, World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Organisation (WBO) cruiserweight titles, said of Chapman: "He's a big guy who comes to brawl and has never lost but I guess he looked at me and didn't fancy it. It's pretty frustrating."
The 27-year-old Londoner added: "He hasn't had any big-name opponents who you would recognise but he's never lost, never been put down and he's strong so I thought he would be the ideal opponent for an exciting fight.
"He's the same size as Klitschko and I wanted people to get the taste of what I can do to a big heavyweight."
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