In the continuing saga of David Haye’s pursuit of a world heavyweight title, after talks with the Klitschko brothers broke down for numerous reasons, former undisputed world cruiserweight champion Haye and his trainer, co-promoter Adam Booth have signed a contract with Sauerland Promotions to meet current World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight champion Nikolai Valuev on November 7.
Haye has claimed he has escaped from a contract with the Klitschko brothers which had him zipped up "like a slave fighter".
The location is yet to be decided, but it is likely to be in Germany. In a press release issued in the early hours of Thursday morning, it was revealed that ‘David Vs. Goliath’ – the billing given to Haye’s proposed contest with Wladimir Klitschko - will be screened live in the UK on Sky Box Office.
In a double-bluff John Le Carre might have been happy to invent in one of his Cold War spy thrillers, the former cruiserweight champion has surprised the boxing world by signing to challenge Valuev after pulling out of deals to fight both Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko in the course of less than two months.
On a day of smokescreens, Klitschko's manager, Bernd Boente, and contractual adviser Shelly Finkel could not reach Booth by phone or fax to finalise the deal in place for Vitali Klitschko and Haye to go into fistic battle on Sept 12 at the 55,000-seat Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt, Germany.
Haye said: "I am thrilled to announce that my dream of becoming world heavyweight champion will be realized on Nov 7 when I challenge the tallest and heaviest champion of all time, Nikolai Valuev.
"Valuev's known as 'The Beast From The East' and there's a reason he's got that nickname. He's a big, ugly, sweaty and hairy man from the Eastern Bloc. David only needed a slingshot and a stone to flatten Goliath and I'm convinced my right hand generates more power than a stone."
By some accounts, Boente was incensed by the move, but it is likely that Haye will still get to fight one, or even both of the Klitschko brothers, depending on the outcome of his contest with Valuev. There would simply be too much money on the table.
"Haye is saying it's a slavery contract and won't sign it after we agreed to everything," Boente told Dan Rafael at ESPN.com.
"The contract we agreed on is on their desk and they don't sign it. From [Wednesday] morning on, they don't answer us. This is the worst I have seen in negotiating. We have not heard from them. This is so amateurish. How little class do they have? I really prefer to negotiate with people like Don King or Peter Kohl, who are tough, but at least you can talk to them and negotiate. This guy has no idea what he is doing. Haye has the right trainer maybe, but not the right manager."
Haye insisted, nonetheless, that reports he had signed to fight Vitali Klitschko were premature. "There were reports in the German press that I had signed to fight Vitali Klitschko in September, but those reports were never true. There have been long and exhausting discussions about the clash, but unfortunately I could never put my name to the fight contract the Klitschkos offered.
“The level of disrespect they have shown me throughout has left me feeling insulted. As for signing the contract, now that I realise just how much support and interest I have from the people in Germany, it would have been like selling my soul to the devil. I will not be a slave fighter.”
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