Klitschko/Haye Trade Verbal Jabs HBO Lunch

Wladimir Klitschko says he won’t be convinced David Haye will actually fight him until he sees him in the ring July 2 in Hamburg, Germany. Klitschko, the IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight champion, was set to face Haye, the WBA champion, in 2009 before Haye pulled out of that fight.

“I will not believe this fight until I see David Haye in the corner July 2,” Klitschko said Tuesday during a luncheon in Manhattan where the two fighters discussed their heavyweight unification bout. “Thank God, he is going first. Then I’ll see, OK, he’s there, then I’ll come in.’“

Haye promised to be there, then pointed out Klitschko has pulled out of his past two fights because of injuries.

“As much as he’s worried about me, I’m also worried about him,” Haye said. “We’re both going to turn up. I’ve got a feeling you want to win this fight. I know I do. I truly believe I’m going to knock you out and I’ve got a sneaking suspicion you feel the same. We’ll both turn up and we’re both going to have a great fight and the fans are going to be happy.”

Haye (25-1, 23 KOs) reiterated that his preference between fighting Wladimir or his brother Vitali, the WBC champion, was Wladimir (55-3, 49 KOs).

“He’s the guy the public wants me to fight,” Haye said. “If there was a poll, 90 percent of the people would say Wladimir. I’m boxing for the biggest and this is it.”

The fight will be held at a 57,000-seat stadium and televised to the United States on HBO, which will broadcast the bout live in the afternoon and replay it at 10 p.m. that night.

“This fight now is a whole lot bigger than it was two or three years ago,” said Haye, the former cruiserweight champion. “Whatever the reasons were or whatever happened, we’re here today and it’s bigger and better. I’m a better athlete than I was two or three years ago and I’ve got more experience against bigger guys. I’m looking forward to showing the world what the 'Haymaker' is all about.”

Klitschko called Haye a “wannabe” and said he wasn’t impressive in recent bouts against Audley Harrison and Nikolay Valuev. Haye didn’t take kindly to Klitschko’s assessment.

“You boring,” Haye told Klitschko. “I’d rather watch paint dry. The reason why I’m here is people want you to get knocked out so there’s some excitement in the heavyweight division. You and your brother have killed the heavyweight division and I’m here to save it.”

Klitschko, a native of the Ukraine, kept telling Haye, “You are my creation,” adding the Englishman would “eat the jab for 12 rounds.”

Haye scoffed at that notion, saying, “Sure, I’m going to stand there and let you jab at me for 12 rounds.”

Haye said a victory over Klitschko would solidify his legacy.

“He’s the main man. People will realize I’m better than him and that’s what I want," Haye said. "I’ve always wanted to prove that I’m the best. This is my chance to prove that I’m the main man in the world. The boxing fans deserve this fight.”

Klitschko remains confident.

“I will roll over this guy," he said. "It’s not about my legacy. I enjoy the challenge and I care about the performance.”

Haye said he still plans to retire when he turns 31 in October.

“I’ve set that date from when I was young and I always try to stick to my goals,” he said. “You have timelines and if you achieve what you want to achieve in those timelines why not stick to your goals?”

Haye said he hoped to become a bigger star in the United States, but has yet to fight here.

“It hasn’t gone that great,” he admitted. “I was anticipating some young hungry Americans would be on the horizon. But the only hungry American you’ve got is Cris Arreola and he’s hungry in the kitchen and not the ring. Unfortunately, that’s the state of American heavyweight boxing.”



Link if you need it

http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/bygeorge/klitschko_haye_trade_verbal_jabs_Y4DeCwra4za3adTWb0fciK


Also pictures

http://ow.ly/user/hboboxing

 

I also want a video but haven't came across one yet..