Vitali 'close' to Haye deal

Haye: Back in training

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David Haye is close to signing for a fight against WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko on September 12.

Haye was forced to withdraw from his battle in Gelsenkirchen against IBF and WBO title holder Wladimir Klitschko after suffering a back injury two weeks before the June 20 bout.

However, he has declared himself fit and is ready to take on either of the brothers with a September date already being mooted.

But with Wladimir facing a mandatory defence of his IBF title against Alexander Povetkin and Vitali free to fight whoever he pleases after fulfilling his obligations with a victory over Juan Carlos Gomez earlier this year, the elder of the two is now firmly in the frame.

"The back is fine and I've had a few session on it," he said. "I'm looking to step up training next week and I can't wait for the fight to be announced.

"If I fight a Klitschko the fight will probably be in Germany so it's all about me going over there and doing the business."

Wladimir defeated late stand-in Ruslan Chagaev in front of 61,000 fans in Gelsenkirchen, most of whom bought tickets to see the Ukrainian take on Haye.

It is likely a football stadium will once again be the venue if Vitali agrees to the fight, with Gelsenkirchen, Dusseldorf and Frankfurt said to be in the frame.