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David Haye's arrival on the heavyweight scene did seem a bit too good to be true and so it has proved as the Londoner's hopes of a summer shot at the world heavyweight title seem to have been smothered at birth. First he was to face Vitali Klitschko, the WBC heavyweight champion, pictured right, then it was Wladimir, the WBO and IBF champion, left, now Haye looks like he will be getting no one just now.
The negotiations had just seemed a bit too easy, everyone had just seemed a bit too nice, but Bernd Boente, the brothers' manager, chose the weekend to lay down the law about just who was the boss in these talks, when speaking to top US columnist Dan Rafael of espn.com.
Boente said that plans to stage the bout at Stamford Bridge on June 20 were off, and if it wasn't going to be there, they just were not that interested. "They backed out of the stadium because of the economy and now we have to negotiate everything new," Boente said. "That [stadium] was a huge portion of the deal. Otherwise, Haye is not bringing much to the table.
"We are absolutely willing to do the fight, but we have to start all over again to bring them down from their high horse. Adam is very inexperienced. He may be a good coach, but he's definitely not a good manager. If he's not taking this chance, do you know how long it will be before Haye is in a mandatory position? It will take a long time. This is a unique chance for Haye and they are being so greedy. If Haye had a name like Lennox Lewis or Evander Holyfield in their best days, we would have additional money from international sales. But that is not the case."
A press statement on Monday saying that Haye was willing to go to Germany to face Wladimir seemed to be a sign that it was all over, for the moment at least, despite reports in some newspapers that claimed the deal was virtually done.
"David will fight Wladimir anywhere they choose, and give them the two rematch options they have requested," Booth said. "In regards to the rematches clause, I am baffled as to why Boente seems to have forgotten our last conversation about this. We said they could have the two rematches they wanted, which effectively means David’s next three fights could be in Germany against either Wladimir or Vitali Klitschko.
"What they’re also demanding is that if David were to win against Wladimir and then have a mandatory challenger obligation (non-Klitschko) he would have to immediately vacate the title he won from Wladimir. This would mean David could win three fights against the Klitschko brothers and still not be in a position to officially call himself heavyweight champion of the world at the end of it.
"They (the Klitschkos) would make exactly the same money in Germany as they would in England because we have dropped our figure to go to Germany. If they take a proposed fight with Chris Arreola, they will make substantially less. So people can now work this out for themselves.
"The original deal to co-promote the event would never work because of unacceptable terms. However, we're willing to sacrifice a little on our side just to get this fight made. David doesn't want to dodge Wladimir and just pick and choose his way through boring, fringe contenders. He wants to fight the best and restore some excitement to the heavyweight division. We only hope Wladimir feels the same way."
The bottom line is that Haye needs the Klitschkos more than they need him... and they know it. A family virtual monopoly of the titles goes a long way in this business. Boente's interview could merely be a negotiating tactic, but it now seems more likely that Wladimir will be facing Chris Arreola in Los Angeles in May. After that he has Alexander Povetkin to take care of. Vitali, providing he beats Juan Carlos Gomez next month, could be available in September.
Another problem Haye faces is that the Klitschkos are much bigger stars in Europe than Haye is in Britain. They might not be the most respected heavyweight champions in history, but they can sell out a huge arena in Germany any time they like. On top of that, they have a huge TV deal in Germany from RTL, have a good relationship in the US with HBO and British TV is always more likely than not going to take the bout too. There is also no other route to go, with Nikolay Valuev, the WBA champion, due to face former champion Ruslan Chagaev unless he gets injured again.
So what now? Certainly Haye will do best to get back into action and forget about the Klitschkos for a while. After his thrilling performance against Monte Barrett in November, it is important not to lose momentum. The original plan was for at least two bouts before a world-title challenge and if Haye goes back to the O2 Arena against a top 20 heavyweight, he will most likely get a big crowd this time. The other option just seems to play the poor cards the Klitschkos have dealt him.
The negotiations had just seemed a bit too easy, everyone had just seemed a bit too nice, but Bernd Boente, the brothers' manager, chose the weekend to lay down the law about just who was the boss in these talks, when speaking to top US columnist Dan Rafael of espn.com.
Boente said that plans to stage the bout at Stamford Bridge on June 20 were off, and if it wasn't going to be there, they just were not that interested. "They backed out of the stadium because of the economy and now we have to negotiate everything new," Boente said. "That [stadium] was a huge portion of the deal. Otherwise, Haye is not bringing much to the table.
"We are absolutely willing to do the fight, but we have to start all over again to bring them down from their high horse. Adam is very inexperienced. He may be a good coach, but he's definitely not a good manager. If he's not taking this chance, do you know how long it will be before Haye is in a mandatory position? It will take a long time. This is a unique chance for Haye and they are being so greedy. If Haye had a name like Lennox Lewis or Evander Holyfield in their best days, we would have additional money from international sales. But that is not the case."
A press statement on Monday saying that Haye was willing to go to Germany to face Wladimir seemed to be a sign that it was all over, for the moment at least, despite reports in some newspapers that claimed the deal was virtually done.
"David will fight Wladimir anywhere they choose, and give them the two rematch options they have requested," Booth said. "In regards to the rematches clause, I am baffled as to why Boente seems to have forgotten our last conversation about this. We said they could have the two rematches they wanted, which effectively means David’s next three fights could be in Germany against either Wladimir or Vitali Klitschko.
"What they’re also demanding is that if David were to win against Wladimir and then have a mandatory challenger obligation (non-Klitschko) he would have to immediately vacate the title he won from Wladimir. This would mean David could win three fights against the Klitschko brothers and still not be in a position to officially call himself heavyweight champion of the world at the end of it.
"They (the Klitschkos) would make exactly the same money in Germany as they would in England because we have dropped our figure to go to Germany. If they take a proposed fight with Chris Arreola, they will make substantially less. So people can now work this out for themselves.
"The original deal to co-promote the event would never work because of unacceptable terms. However, we're willing to sacrifice a little on our side just to get this fight made. David doesn't want to dodge Wladimir and just pick and choose his way through boring, fringe contenders. He wants to fight the best and restore some excitement to the heavyweight division. We only hope Wladimir feels the same way."
The bottom line is that Haye needs the Klitschkos more than they need him... and they know it. A family virtual monopoly of the titles goes a long way in this business. Boente's interview could merely be a negotiating tactic, but it now seems more likely that Wladimir will be facing Chris Arreola in Los Angeles in May. After that he has Alexander Povetkin to take care of. Vitali, providing he beats Juan Carlos Gomez next month, could be available in September.
Another problem Haye faces is that the Klitschkos are much bigger stars in Europe than Haye is in Britain. They might not be the most respected heavyweight champions in history, but they can sell out a huge arena in Germany any time they like. On top of that, they have a huge TV deal in Germany from RTL, have a good relationship in the US with HBO and British TV is always more likely than not going to take the bout too. There is also no other route to go, with Nikolay Valuev, the WBA champion, due to face former champion Ruslan Chagaev unless he gets injured again.
So what now? Certainly Haye will do best to get back into action and forget about the Klitschkos for a while. After his thrilling performance against Monte Barrett in November, it is important not to lose momentum. The original plan was for at least two bouts before a world-title challenge and if Haye goes back to the O2 Arena against a top 20 heavyweight, he will most likely get a big crowd this time. The other option just seems to play the poor cards the Klitschkos have dealt him.