Skip to content

Haye hits out at Klitschkos

Image: Haye: Chasing the Klitschkos

David Haye wants to knock out both Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, insisting he doesn't care which one of the brothers he fights first.

Latest Boxing Stories

WBA champion less than impressed with Vitali's latest opponent

David Haye has challenged Vitali Klitschko to prove his legacy by fighting him, insisting the Ukrainian's greatest performance to date was a loss to Lennox Lewis. Klitschko puts his WBC heavyweight title on the line this weekend when he faces American Kevin Johnson in Berne, Switzerland. Having claimed the WBA belt with a points win over Nikolai Valuev in November, Haye is hoping he might be next in line. However, the Londoner would also be happy to fight Vitali's younger brother Wladimir, who currently holds the IBF and WBO straps.

Legacy

"I want to knock out both Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, and I don't care what order they fall in," said Haye. "Vitali is nearly 40 years of age now and the clock is ticking if he wants to form any sort of legacy. "There are probably one million dudes in America called Kevin Johnson, and beating one of them doesn't make you an all-time great heavyweight. "Vitali's greatest performance to date is a loss to Lennox Lewis. That's his most memorable fight and the one result on his record that will be remembered in the history books. "The Klitschkos don't care about being great fighters, whereas I do. "They may be big in Switzerland, but so are yodellers, and nobody wants to watch them fight." Although he will be watching, Haye has labelled Vitali's bout with Johnson as "one of the most unappealing heavyweight title fights in a while".
Toblerones
"I'll be watching the fight, but only because I have an interest in meeting Vitali next year," he added. "As far as the fight itself goes, it's one of the most unappealing heavyweight title fights for a while - and that's saying something," added the 29-year-old. "The fact that a title fight between a Ukrainian and an American is being held in Switzerland tells you all you need to know about the appeal of this fight. "Heavyweight title fights should be huge events, not an after-thought in a country most famous for producing Toblerones."