Warren hits out at Haye for deal collapse

FRANK WARREN has criticised David Haye’s camp for their failure to agree a heavyweight unification bout with Wladimir Klitschko.

WBA champion Haye and manager Adam Booth opened negotiations with the Klitschko camp over a fight between the Londoner and current IBF and WBO champion Klitschko after the Ukrainian pulled out of a fight with Dereck Chisora last month due to a stomach injury.

But those talks broke down, with both sides blaming each other for failing to agree a showdown which Haye is desperate to set up before his planned retirement on October 13.

The breakdown led to the resurrection of the Klitschko-Chisora fight, which will now take place in Mannheim, Germany, on April 30.

Chisora’s promoter Warren hit out at Haye and his manager yesterday, saying Booth and Haye only had themselves to blame for the collapse of the deal.

“The contract between ourselves and Wladimir had a get-out clause in it that said he could fight someone else if he pulled out,” Warren said.

“It was no secret that they were talking to Haye but thankfully, true to form, Adam Booth and David Haye made it an easy decision for them.

“I read some of the things that have been said from Adam Booth and David Haye about how difficult the Klitschkos were, but I have dealt with them on two occasions and I can honestly say that Adam Booth is without a doubt the most difficult person I’ve ever had to deal with in boxing.

“What is he (Haye) doing fighting Audley Harrison when he could have fought Klitschko?

“You have to be an idiot not to know that they (the Klitschkos) want to make the (Haye) fight.”

Wladimir maintains that a fight with Haye could still happen in July.

That has led many to suggest that ‘Dr Steelhammer’ is using the Chisora fight as a warm-up for a contest with Haye.

Warren denies that but admits Chisora’s status as an outsider means a win for him would be a huge upset.

He said: “For a guy to win a heavyweight title after just 14 fights has to be the biggest upset of all time.

“It would be a bigger upset than (Leon) Spinks beating (Muhammad) Ali because Spinks came in as Olympic champion. There are a lot of people out there who think this is a total mis-match but they’re wrong”.