David Haye: "I Will Not Be a Slave Fighter"

[KittenFlaps]

Oh David Haye. I understand you wouldn't want to be contractually obligated to fight not one, but both of the highest paid heavyweights in the world. I understand that you wouldn't wan't to be trapped in a contract that forces you to fight in front of more fans than probably all of your previous fights combined. I understand you don't want to make tons of money and honestly who wants all that fame.

No sir. You've played it smart. Better to pretend you'll fight someone and remain relevant than to actually fight someone and be exposed. Enjoy fighting Valuev. You two blown up nobodies deserve each other.

[CasperUK]

Haye is a chicken, I don't buy this BS about Klit contracts, just like I didn't buy his back injury. Still, would be funny if the big slow lump KTFO'd his punk arse!

What don't you buy?

The Klitschko brothers have never denied that they tried to force Haye between a rock and a hard place when it came to negotiating with Haye. This confirms that they wanted everything their own way even though Haye brought the excitement, extra money and more fans to the bout.

Bernd Boente, the Klitschko's manager, also didn't let Haye talk about the contract in public either knowing full well how bad it would make the Klitschko management team look. Put simply, they were embarassed about it.

[CasperUK]

Oh David Haye. I understand you wouldn't want to be contractually obligated to fight not one, but both of the highest paid heavyweights in the world. I understand that you wouldn't wan't to be trapped in a contract that forces you to fight in front of more fans than probably all of your previous fights combined. I understand you don't want to make tons of money and honestly who wants all that fame.

No sir. You've played it smart. Better to pretend you'll fight someone and remain relevant than to actually fight someone and be exposed. Enjoy fighting Valuev. You two blown up nobodies deserve each other.

Ok sir, since you are so smart, did you see the clauses that the Klitschko's were making Haye agree to?

They tried to force Haye into effectively fighting one hand tied behind his back demanding the majority of the PPV, purse, rematch clauses and who knows what else.

The only reason the Schalke stadium was touted for the Haye fight was on the basis of Haye. Otherwise no way would they have been interested in entertaining a Klitschko fight. It was also PPV too, something that Klitschko doesn't even get in Germany.

That is what Haye brought to the table, excitement and money (despite not being a big name prior to this fight). He was the draw despite the fight being in Germany.

This is the smartest thing Haye could have done; fight and potentially beat Valuev, sign a BETTER financial deal (even if it is with Don King), have the freedom to fight wherever he wants after this fight, make more money, more marketability and thus inevitably bring more to the negotiating table.
Would the Klitschkos have allowed him to do that? I don't think so.
They're like the banks of the world; suck the life out of everything, bleed it dry and move on. They're the ones who truly ruin boxing for the fans while people like Haye at least try and bring some respect and warrior like credentials to it.

Why do idiots like you see only things in black and white? Boxing is a business and the sooner you grasp that concept the quicker and sooner people like you won't give true boxing fans a bad name as being thick, uneducated, misinformed idiots who only care about 'who is a *****' and who isn't.

[guru]

Since when did the Klits become promoters? Furthermore, regardless of whether or I not I'd rather deal with them is irrelevant. Obviously he offered Haye a much better deal than he got elsewhere.

uuummm, since they started K2 promotions?!?!

its not obvious haye got a better deal. he may have got a better deal or he may have gotten chicken and took the easier fight...

[KittenFlaps]

Why do idiots like you see only things in black and white? Boxing is a business and the sooner you grasp that concept the quicker and sooner people like you won't give true boxing fans a bad name as being thick, uneducated, misinformed idiots who only care about 'who is a *****' and who isn't.

Woah there, Slugger! Throwing it down personally!

I never said he was a *****, nor did I say he was ******. I simply said that he had an opportunity to fight the only two legitimate heavyweight stars and he gave it up. There isn't a clause in the world outside of possible pre-fight castration that should have forced him to not sign. He was going to be locked into fighting not one, but two heavyweight championships. He was going to get less of the cut because he isnt the champ, it's to be expected.

In truth I don't think he's a ***** or a coward, I just think he runs his mouth and pulls these stunts to make a name for himself. He's done nothing as a heavyweight worth mentioning and he was offered a chance to fight BOTH Klits. Most intelligent fighters would take the opportunity. Like you said, it's a business.

Really though, the only reason I'm responding to you is because your personal attack and absurd ranting caused me to feel some need to put you in your place. It's reminiscent of .....wait a second...David? Is that you?

[Chunk..]

Oh David Haye. I understand you wouldn't want to be contractually obligated to fight not one, but both of the highest paid heavyweights in the world. I understand that you wouldn't wan't to be trapped in a contract that forces you to fight in front of more fans than probably all of your previous fights combined. I understand you don't want to make tons of money and honestly who wants all that fame.

No sir. You've played it smart. Better to pretend you'll fight someone and remain relevant than to actually fight someone and be exposed. Enjoy fighting Valuev. You two blown up nobodies deserve each other.

With the Wlad fight, the only revenue Haye had coming in was from Setanta TV, but they went bust a few weeks before the fight which means he would have been fighting Wlad for free and hardly making anything at all.

[KittenFlaps]

With the Wlad fight, the only revenue Haye had coming in was from Setanta TV, but they went bust a few weeks before the fight which means he would have been fighting Wlad for free and hardly making anything at all.

I can understand pulling out or renegotiating that. I can't understand doing it a second time (Vitali) with a different contact.

[Porter's Dad]

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

[$partacus]

I can understand pulling out or renegotiating that. I can't understand doing it a second time (Vitali) with a different contact.

They were offering the exact same contract as the Wlad one for the Vitali fight.

[Chunk..]

I can understand pulling out or renegotiating that. I can't understand doing it a second time (Vitali) with a different contact.

No one really knows what the terms of the contact that Vitali offered to Haye? but i reckon it can't have been far off the same contract that Wlad offered Haye, with Vitali getting the biggest slice of everything and Haye getting a slice of the UK revenue which is probably justifiable but Haye has stood back and thought that if he beats that big Russian bloke whose name i can't spell right now?, then that would give him more leverage in terms of negotiating any possible future fights with the Klit brothers.

Yes, Haye has made himself look like a bit of a **** but this makes more sense for him in the long run.