Financial discord the heart of failed Klitschko negotiations for David Haye
Who remembers Mike Tyson talking about and refusing a fight because of botched financial negotiations with a prospective opponent?
David Haye, WBA heavyweight titlist, has broken his silence about negotiations with the Klitschko brothers to state why they failed to launch. Most of Haye’s explanation derived from recent talks with Wladimir Klitschko, the younger of the brothers, who currently holds the WBO/IBO/IBF heavyweight titles.
Haye said, "I wanted 50/50. That's what I said from the start. If you give me 50% maximum of all of the territories, of all the ticket sales....the fight is going to happen. He didn't want that to happen. The reason being, he's tied into a TV contract. He's got a multi-fight deal with RTL, a German television network. I know there's more money to be had in Germany because I've been talking to the television networks and there's more money to be had.”
Pity the heavyweight champion who develops a business ethic that dictates who and who he will not get into the ring with. At the same time: so are the Klitschkos the new Floyd Mayweather Jr.?
Haye continued: “He's not willing to put the maximum from his territory into the pot. I'm doing that. He's not doing that and that's totally unacceptable for me. […] I gave him an alternative. [I said] you keep 100% of your RTL money and I can keep 100% of the UK money. We split everything else 50/50 and we get the fight done. [He said] no. He totally didn't answer that, didn't accept that, and the fight is not happening because of that.”
According to Telegraph’s Gareth A. Davies, Haye will step into the ring with European heavyweight titlist Audley Harrison. The fight will be a much awaited British boxing match, and likely the most noteworthy since Lennox Lewis defeated Frank Bruno almost seventeen years ago.
Haye criticized the Klitschkos and Wladimir’s upcoming fight against Shannon Briggs on 11 September.
"He signs to fight Samuel Peter....someone that his brother smashed to pieces the other day, and his brother signs to fight Shannon "Asthma Pump" Briggs. I'm going to be announcing another opponent. I'm not willing to submit to their c**p. They think they deserve it their way...I don't."
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