Valuev-Vitali talks ongoing

Far from dropping out of the heavyweight scene after losing to David Haye, Nicolai Valuev could be next up for Vitali Klitschko.

Big Russian remains in heavyweight picture despite Haye loss

Far from dropping out of the heavyweight scene after losing the WBA title to David Haye, Nicolai Valuev could be next up for WBC champ Vitali Klitschko. Talks are some way down the line between the two camps with Don King, who has promotional rights over Valuev, believing a fight between the pair could bring in $10m. Valuev was made to look very ordinary by Haye in November and the 7ft Russian appeared to have nowhere to go without a heavyweight title as a bargaining tool. However, with Klitschko looking for another easy title defence before a possible unification fight with Haye later this year, Valuev could fit the bill. Klitschko has made three successful defences of the WBC title in the second part of his reign after stopping Sam Peter on his return to the ring following an absence of four years. However, neither Juan Carlos Gomez, Chris Arreola nor Kevin Johnson brought much to the table and Valuev, despite his obvious size advantage, would be unlikely to threaten Klitschko's dominance. The only sticking point appears to be the purse split, with King turning down a guarantee of $2m for a 60-40 split of the revenue. Meanwhile, Haye needs to get his mandatory defence against John Ruiz in April out of the way before attempting to get either Vitali or brother Wladimir, who owns the IBF and WBO straps, back round the negotiating table.