Haye still talking big despite crushing Klitschko defeat

DAVID HAYE does not know what his future holds after insisting he has “put heavyweight boxing back on the map” despite his one-sided defeat by Wladimir Klitschko in Hamburg.

In what Klitschko claimed was “a victory for boxing” after some of Haye’s distasteful pre-fight trash talk, the Ukrainian enjoyed a resounding points victory at a soaking Imtech Arena to add Haye’s WBA title to his own IBF and WBO belts.

Haye immediately cited a broken toe for his uninspiring performance — showing the swollen digit to Klitschko and media in the post-fight press conference — but admits even taking that into account it is difficult to see where he goes now.

The Londoner had planned to retire in October after one more fight. Klitschko is not keen on a rematch and Haye hardly demanded one.

Haye said he is usually “sick” when fighters give excuses following defeat but insisted it would be a different story should he meet Klitschko when fully fit.

But Klitschko said: “You know what? If the guy wants a rematch and comes into the press conference shouting ‘I want a rematch, that was nothing,’ then okay.

“But I didn’t see from David Haye a real desire to have a rematch. Instead the rematch was actually pushed to him (by reporters) and he was like ’okay, maybe, I don’t know, whatever,’.

“If there is a rematch I will definitely knock him out and right now I’m in the driver’s seat and I’ll have a think about what I’m going to do next.”

One option for Haye, besides a rematch, could be a shot at Klitschko’s elder brother, WBC champion Vitali.

But he is scheduled to meet contender Tomasz Adamek in September and Wladimir suggested there is no room for negotiation to fight Haye instead.

Crucially, Haye has no bargaining power with the Klitschkos because he has no title and is coming off a second career defeat and there is nobody else of real interest for him to fight instead.

“Listen, will he want to give me a rematch when I’m 100% fit? I don’t know,” Haye said. “If not, then I don’t know. I really don’t know. I’d love him to give me a rematch. He said he can knock me out and I’d love him to give it a go. If he couldn’t knock me out on one leg, pretty much, then how about when I’m fit?”

As a fight which had revived interest in the flagging heavyweight division the event was hugely disappointing. The tactical battle and nuances were interesting but the travelling fans and huge mainstream television audience will have been left cold by the scrap.

“I’m gutted I wasn’t able to do what I needed to do out there (because of the injury),” Haye said. “I feel we’ve put heavyweight boxing back on the map because this fight got so many people excited.”

For Haye, though, it had been the opportunity to establish a real legacy in the heavyweight division as the man to end Klitschko’s dominance.

But after talking the talk he failed to walk the walk at a rain-sodden outdoor football stadium, unable or unwilling to produce the all-out savagery he had crudely promised. Instead he boxed on the backfoot, using his advantage in speed and reflexes to avoid most of Klitschko’s one-dimensional shots. In return he landed occasional winging right hands over the top and, after answering some questions about his own chin, he asked some of his own with an excellent 12th-round assault. But his overall performance was sub-standard as he lost a wide decision with scores of 117-109, 118-108 and 116-110.

Reflecting on the win and the preceding two years of tiresome goading and talk of decapitation and death, Klitschko found the win particularly poignant.

He said: “It is definitely a victory for boxing because this man has to go. It’s not cool what he did with the T-shirts showing my brother and I decapitated. It put a certain shadow on the sport and just disgraced the sport.”