Wladimir Klitschko’s defense against Derek Chisora may be scheduled for April 30, but April 1 would probably be a more appropriate date.
After all, Klitschko’s announcement Wednesday that he had decided to reschedule his bout with the British and Commonwealth champ rather than unify the heavyweight championships against David Haye sounded for to the world like an April Fool’s joke.
To Chisora, though, it was a more of a belated Christmas gift.
On Dec. 8, 2010, just 72 hours before the biggest moment in his life, Chisora’s unexpected shot at the heavyweight championship was cruelly snatched away. And, the unranked challenger wasn’t likely to see another major title fight any time soon.
"I was gutted when Wladimir pulled out of our fight,” a suddenly ecstatic Chisora recalled, after learning the bout was back on. “My promoter Frank Warren has done a great job in getting me this opportunity because there was no guarantee Wladimir would fight me again after he got injured.
“But now I've got another chance to take his titles away.”
David Haye’s Unanswered Prayer
Ironically, negotiations for a Haye-Klitschko bout in 2011 heated up after Klitschko pulled out of his scheduled defense against Chisora on the eve of the weigh-in, claiming a pulled stomach muscle.
Boente even stated at the time of the cancellation that Klitschko was keeping his options open and wasn’t necessarily going to reschedule with Chisora, who isn’t ranked among the top 15 heavyweights by the WBO or the IBF. Also, with the hype surrounding Haye-Harrison now over, a Klitschko-Chisora bout didn’t seem to make as much sense as it did in December, if it ever did at all.
“It is at the sole option of K2 Promotions to either reschedule or cancel the fight against Chisora,” Boente told Boxingscene.com in December. “That decision has to be made in the next 30-days and depends, for example, on available television dates and arenas.”
But, by the end of the month, all signs were pointing to a Haye-Klitschko bout.
On Dec. 28, Booth sent out a release to the boxing press with an update: "We are now perfectly positioned to make this fight with Wladimir Klitschko. We have offered them 50-50 on everything – just as they requested – and see no reason why this tremendous fight can't happen. The path is clear."
And, Haye added: "We have removed every possible excuse and have shown we are serious about making this fight become a reality. I'll smoke him out if I have to. I only pray Wladimir is as serious as we are, because this fight needs to happen for the good of the sport."
That prayer, apparently, was left unanswered.
Klitschko-Chisora is on!
Once word got out Wednesday that the Chisora match was on, Klitschko did his best to fend off those who disagreed with his decision.
“I am very happy that we have found a new date for the fight so quickly,” he said, adding that the bout will take place at the SAP Arena in Mannheim, Germany – the same location as the ill-fated December fight. “Chisora insulted me many times and that is why I still have unfinished business with him. He is a very good boxer. But, as a person, he is a loser. I will teach him a lesson at the end of April.”
The ‘feigned’ anger directed at Chisora seemed forced and out of place, though.
By Wednesday night, however, while attending the premiere of the FX network’s fictional boxing series “Lights Out” in Manhattan, Klitschko once again began hurling insults at the Haye camp.
"This guy needs an attitude adjustment, which I hoped to give him in the ring,” the Ukrainian told boxing scribe Mike Marley. “Haye makes all these demands like he’s the champion. But I am the real champion. As for Booth, this guy calls himself a manager and a trainer. But, in reality, he is only a trainer. He's not qualified to be a manager and his conduct proves that."
Standing beside the fighter was his diminutive girlfriend, actress Hayden Pannetiere, who apparently was unaware that her boyfriend was the one who declined the fight.
“All Haye does is run his mouth and talk trash,” Pannetiere said, adding her two cents. “Haye is just afraid because he knows he will get beaten badly."
Will it be Haye vs. Chagaev?
Bluster and name-calling aside, it appears yet another television contract – this time Klitschko’s deal with RTL – blocked the most important heavyweight fight that could be made.
Klitschko has one more fight remaining on his existing deal with RTL. Once he meets that commitment, he’s free to shop a fight with Haye and get a better deal with RTL or another network. The move will also strengthen Klitschko’s negotiating power with Haye, since his current agreement with RTL doesn’t generate as much potential income as Haye’s deal does with Sky.
But, much can change between now and any future negotiation.
The WBA has mandated that David Haye face its top-rated challenger (and former Klitschko victim) Ruslan Chagaev before the end of April. The organization seemed willing to let Haye and Klitschko fight ahead of a meeting with Chagaev. But now that the unifier is off, the original mandate is back on. If Haye doesn’t defend against Chagaev or the next available contender, the WBA will likely strip him of the title.
Also, the IBF has begun an elimination tournament to designate a new mandatory for Klitschko. Unfortunately, the prospects of finding a viable contender in that tournament aren’t promising. The first bout in the tourney is scheduled for February and features Eddie Chambers (who lost via knockout to Wlad last year) against Derric Rossey, who Chambers stopped in seven rounds in 2007.
Finally, should Chisora beat the odds and upset Klitschko, he’ll have to give Wlad an immediate rematch. If Chisora wins that fight, he’ll have to face Vitali, too. So any all-England unifier with Haye would be a year or more down the road.
Which is why Haye’s statement “if the fight doesn’t happen now, it never will” rang true to so many. The window is open. But once the mandatory contenders have to be appeased, striking a deal gets infinitely more complicated. And neither man may be willing to make the same concessions they made this time around.
“There were a lot of people who knew Wladimir really didn’t want this fight yet,” Booth told Sky Sports News on Wednesday. “And it’s a shame. It’s embarrassing for boxing that the unification fight isn’t going to happen now. David’s bent over backwards. We’ve conceded to every ridiculous demand they made. Wladimir should be ashamed of himself.”
Haye was less diplomatic.
“Wladimir won't fight anybody nine weeks after Chisora, let alone me,” he said. “Are we expected to believe that a fighter who competed only once in 2009 and twice in 2010 is now going to box twice in a matter of nine weeks?
“It should never have come to this.”
See Also Wladimir Klitschko vs. David Haye: The Lost Super Fight (Part 1)
