Klitschko-Haye reports premature

Reports that Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye are near a deal to fight in September are premature, a source familiar with the negotiations told RingTV.com.

Klitschko, who has been aggressively calling out the Briton, has made an offer but Haye has yet to respond. That doesn’t mean the fight won’t happen; it means only that this is a first step in the negotiations.

“The reports are definitely premature,” the source said.

Haye was scheduled to fight Klitschko last year but pulled out, citing an injury. And he was believed to have reached an oral agreement to face Vitali Klitschko but decided to challenge for Nikolai Valuev’s title in November instead.

Now that he has a belt, after beating Valuev, many speculate that he will use his position to make as much money as possible before taking the enormous risk of fighting a Klitschko.

The British television network SkyTV reportedly is pushing for a fight between Haye and Olympic gold medalist Audley Harrison, which would do great ratings in the UK. And Thomas Adamek, who beat Chris Arreola last month, would be a viable candidate.

Vitali Klitschko is scheduled to fight Albert Sosnowski on May 29 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. That fight will be televised on Integrated Sports pay per view.