Haye's next fight...

...for the sake of this thread, let's say him and his management dodge fighting the Klitschkos. Because those in my opinion should be choices #1 and #2. So this is discussion on who he'd fight if a fight with either of those two doesn't happen.

I looked at the latest WBA rankings since he's WBA champ, 9 of the top 11 are eastern Europeans which is bad for Haye marketing a fight to the British public (and none of those 11 are either of the Klitschkos). Chagaev is #1 contender but he has hepatitis and the British board won't give him a license and Haye's not going to fight in Germany as champ so that fight will likely never happen. Don't think anyone wants to see Haye-Valuev again and if Valuev was to fight again I think it'd be to cash out against a Klitschko for retirement. I don't think his management would put him in a "high risk, low reward" fight like Adamek and Povetkin and a couple others on the list (Chagaev would apply in this category too).

The one name I come to on the WBA rankings list is Hasim Rahman at 6. I don't know how he got to number 6...but he's there and there's usually a reason for these sorts of things behind the scenes. His best days are behind him and he'd have a name to the British public since he knocked out Lennox Lewis in the past. It'd be a safe fight for Haye too in my opinion.

 

Well that's the thing, there's no good fights outside of Rahman on the latest WBA rankings. So unless someone gets the Audley push that somehow got him to #14 after knocking out Michael Sprott, who on this list of fighters can Haye face? It also has to be a guy that Sky can sell a fight for.

1. Ruslan Chagaev - Uzbekistan (easily beat #9 Meehan in his last fight in May earlier this year, his first fight since losing to Wlad last year)

2. Nicolay Valuev -Russia (no fights since losing to Haye last year)

3. Denis Boytsov - Russia (undefeated, but faced no one of note)

4. Alexander Ustinov - Russia (undefeated, only fighter on his record I recognize is a decision win over Monte Barrett)

5. Alex Povetkin - Russia (if Haye and Povetkin faced each other that'd be hilarious, but like Adamek and Chagaev I think Haye's management would view Povetkin as "high risk, low reward")

6. Hasim Rahman - USA (lost to Wlad in late 2008 in a knockout, beaten cans since)

7. Timur Ibragimov - Uzbekistan (lost to Calvin Brock and Tony Thompson in 2006 and 2007, since then his biggest win was against Oliver McCall, fights #12 Mormeck in Paris next month, the loser from that fight will be gone from this list)

8. Alexander Dimitrenko - Germany (lone loss to Eddie Chambers last year, won the European title earlier this year)

9. Kali Meehan - Australia (lost to #1 Chagaev in his last fight so he's not an option)

10. Tomasz Adamek - Poland/USA (has kept himself pretty busy, beat Chris Arreola earlier this year, fights a can next month but unlike Haye he fights often, it'll be his 5th fight in 15 months; a good title fight match for either Haye or a Klitschko next year)

11. Denis Bakhtov - Russia (last loss was to Juan Carlos Gomez in 2007, since then he's beaten cans and somehow got up here)

12. Jean-Marc Mormeck - France (lost to David Haye in 2007 in a cruiserweight match, fights #7 Ibragimov next month in Paris)

13. Juan Carlos Gomez - Cuba (beaten cans since losing to Vitali Klitschko in early 2009 knockout)

14. Audley Harrison - Britain (let's move on)

15. Robert Helenius - Finland (undefeated, has faced nobody)

Good fighters not listed above:

the Klitschko brothers
Eddie Chambers
Tony Thompson (Haye's most recent sparring partner so you imagine not)
Chris Arreola
Odlanier Solis (he's in a WBC title eliminator with Ray Austin next month and the WBC decreed Vitali had to face him within 100 days when Vitali tried to get that changed to face Adamek at MSG)
Antonio Tarver (shouldn't get it, but Haye and his handlers might like that match)

Fights Sky could sell (or attempt to) from all those fighters IMO:

the Klitschko brothers, Rahman, Valuev rematch (dear God please don't happen), Tarver