Haye taunts Klitschkos to ‘fight me before I retire’

Britain’s world heavyweight champion David Haye has said he plans to retire in October 2011 and urged his main rivals, the Klitschko brothers, to fight him in a unification bout before he quits.

WBA champ Haye said he plans to retire before his 31st birthday on October 13, 2011 and wants to be the undisputed heavyweight champion - by taking either Vitali Klitschko’s WBC title, or Vladimir’s IBF and WBO crowns.

“My plan is to quit before my 31st birthday,” former cruiserweight champion Haye told German magazine Sport-Bild.

“So far I’ve done a lot in my career: I was the undisputed world cruiserweight champion - and that’s my goal in the heavyweight division.”

Haye was due to fight both Klitschko brothers last year, but the bouts fell through and Haye says the Ukrainians need to get him in the ring soon.

There is no love lost between the brothers and Haye - the brash Brit famously appeared at a press conference last year wearing a t-shirt with an image of him holding aloft the brothers’ severed heads.

“If they wait much longer, the opportunity will be gone. In a year, I will stop. They need to hurry,” said Haye.

In June 2009 Haye was set to fight Vladimir, but the British fighter pulled out with a back injury.

Then three months later, he pulled out of the planned bout with Vitali, citing problems with the contract shortly before he was due to sign.

Vladimir Klitschko has even issued a video message urging Haye to fight him, but the Brit is unimpressed.

“You can say a lot in these messages. Just like Vladimir did in his homoerotic video,” taunted Haye.

“But when it is time for negotiations, where is he then?

“If either of them wanted this fight, it would certainly have happened by now, but they would rather squeeze out as much money as possible.”

Vitali defended his WBC title with a unanimous points victory over US fighter Shannon Briggs last Saturday in Hamburg which left Briggs in hospital with multiple injuries, but Haye is far from impressed.

“Briggs is at the end of his career. The Klitschko brothers are apparently happy to fight old, run-down American boxers. I can only laugh,” said the 30-year-old.

Haye has accused the Klitschko brothers of making excessive demands when negotiating a fight deal.

“We offered them a deal: they keep 100 per cent of the money from the TV station RTL in Germany and I get the complete TV revenue from England,” said Haye.

“The rest of the money, which comes in from television rights and ticket sales revenue, is shared. They rejected that.”

The Briton also said the Klitschko brothers insist on a clause that would guarantee them a rematch.

But the Klitschkos’ manager, Bernd Boente, has dismissed the allegations.

“It is not us who is greedy, but him,” insisted the German.

“The English pay-per-view channels can raise far more money than we receive from our partner RTL.

“Moreover, there has never been an option calling for a rematch. In reality, it is Haye who is too cowardly to fight.”