Vitali Klitschko targeting David Haye and Nikolai Valuev
Per Ake Persson reports that WBC heavyweight titlist Vitali Klitschko will return to the ring no later than May, and is looking at a fight that month or in April against ... Nikolai Valuev.
Oh dear.
American TV has long been saying "no thanks" to Valuev fights, and after the Vitali-Kevin Johnson disgrace on Saturday, I'm not sure HBO is exactly clamoring to see Vitali on its airwaves in a fight with Valuev.
On the giant off-chance that Vitali Klitschko or a member of his management ever read this, I'd like to ask them a favor.
Please, no. Please, don't torture us all with Vitali-Valuev. I mean, you seem to enjoy taking the "0" from younger, up-and-coming fighters. Give Odlanier Solis an offer. Fight Denis Boytsov.
Veterans? Hey, Dominick Guinn won again. Fight him! James Toney never shuts up about you and your "sister," Wladimir, being afraid of him. Sultan Ibragimov quit boxing, but Timur is still out there.
I know these all seem like bad suggestions for you. But if you have any regard for boxing fans the world over, please don't re-legitimize Valuev. Our prayer was that David Haye, even in an ugly win, had rid us of him for at least a year or so.
Klitschko is also talking about fighting David Haye next year, which should come as no surprise. The big money, high-profile opponents are few.
"Now, I have to look at Haye and his people – we will find out if he wants to have a real fight; we will find out if there is more than just words."
Vitali also offered this load of a quote:
"Johnson was tough and took a lot of good punches."
I'm not sure Vitali landed more than three-to-five punches I'd categorize as truly "good" in that entire fight, and Johnson was a lot of things, but "tough" isn't among them.
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Haye will run from Klit in '10....
No way Haye fights Klit in 2010…….. No…. Haye will go after Johnny Ruiz or a Fresno Oquendo type opponent for a defense or two to settle into the role as WBA chump…….
As for Klit, I’d love to see V.K. pound the ever lovin’ chit outta Nick Valubum on HBO in the spring, but I seriously doubt the hulking lummox has enough confidence to sign the contract……. No way Valubum lasts for 12 rds with Vitali Klit….. Nick Valubum is not slick or slippery enough to avoid Vitali Klit’s attack….. Klit would get the KO win, if they ever fight….. But they will not…….. Nick Valubum and company have done their best to avoid the “K” brothers……..
MR.BILL
Bill Petersen
MR.BILL
Raleigh, N.C.
by MRBILL40 on Dec 14, 2009 7:11 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
He’s not “going after” John Ruiz, who he will fight in the spring, the WBA mandated that fight. Ruiz took step-aside money so that Haye could fight Valuev. And I seriously doubt HBO will buy Vitali-Valuev even if it does happen. The interest in Valuev is dramatically lower in the States than in Europe, and everyone knows it.
Bad Left Hook
"If bulls**t was poetry, Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini's name would be Shakespeare." -- Dennis Rappaport
by SC on Dec 14, 2009 7:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Klit-Valuev is not even a Friday Night Fight match. NO ONE west of the Rhine River is interested in this thing.
Much as I can’t stand Mr Clutch and Grab Ruiz, he is a genuine HW and fine for Haye, but really, what’s he done to justify a No# 1 ranking wih the WBA? Or anyone else for that matter?
by FrankinDallas on Dec 14, 2009 8:24 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Ruiz has actually done plenty. You can seriously argue that he beat Valuev both times he fought him and that he also beat Chagaev. Ruiz bitches a lot, but frankly he’s had plenty of valid points in recent times, and his resume is a lot stronger than most. I also think the “Quiet” Man has a better shot against Haye than he’s going to get credit for, and I actually expect it’ll be a good fight. Ruiz really has started fighting more aggressively, perhaps because he realizes he has nothing to lose, and perhaps because he realizes most of these guys can’t fight, so why not make it exciting while you win?
Bad Left Hook
"If bulls**t was poetry, Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini's name would be Shakespeare." -- Dennis Rappaport
by SC on Dec 14, 2009 8:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I agree, Ruiz is at least for real....
Fellas,
I know John Ruiz has stunk in past fights like a rancid fart on a school bus, but as of late, he is working hard in the gym and looking trim and toned…. He also just TKO’d that European dude last month and he looked alright in doing so…. Scoff all you want, but I sense Ruiz is nearing another title shot, and Dave Haye is a small heavy that Ruiz can physically handle; minus the speed and age factor….
I’m not sure what the hell the WBA ratings are at the moment, but I gotta assume John Ruiz is in the top-5 with them crooks.?.? Besides, Dave Haye will need to fight / defend against someone in ’10…….. The division is shallow right now……. Peace…
MR.BILL
Bill Petersen
MR.BILL
Raleigh, N.C.
by MRBILL40 on Dec 15, 2009 1:22 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Ruiz is Haye's mandatory
Had been Valuev’s mandatory for a while when he fought Haye, and they paid him a good chunk of change to step aside so Haye-Valuev could happen. Basically, he earned a mandatory YEARS ago, but he keeps either (a) losing eliminators very close or (b) getting flat out robbed, so they keep installing him as the #1 contender.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
by Brickhaus on Dec 15, 2009 2:18 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Haye-Ruiz is happening in March or April. The fight is set, they just need to work out the money and venue and what have you.
Bad Left Hook
"If bulls**t was poetry, Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini's name would be Shakespeare." -- Dennis Rappaport
by SC on Dec 15, 2009 2:29 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
That would really put the last nail in the coffin of the heavyweight division.
These guys really need to put on exciting fights and put a few titles on the line.
Honestly if it was upto me I’d retire Valuev and both Klitchsko brothers and then put the title in the hands of Arreola, Ruiz and Haye and let them fight it out for unification.
These guys are only interested in easy wins that are dreadfully boring to watch and while it generates them a nice little pay packet its doing terrible, terrible things to that division.
Klit vs Valuev is probably going to happen because as boring as it is going to be it’s not hard to tell who is going to win and how and thats all the brothers care about.
My only point of interest in the heavyweight division at the moment is Ruiz vs Haye.
People are underestimating Ruiz he’ll come in there and try to KO Haye IMO and Haye will have a fight on his hands and with his chin it only takes one shot though I agree if it isn’t a KO by Ruiz, Haye will beat him but probably not KO him.
Aside from that, that division is dead at the moment.
by MannyPacquiao on Dec 14, 2009 10:13 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
These guys are only interested in easy wins
Nope. Easy wins are the only option for them, this doesn’t mean that they don’t want a challenge. Haye is perhaps the man who can beat them and they both tried to fight him before Haye backed out. They cannot be accused of ducking anyone.
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Dec 15, 2009 2:47 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
If it did happen i would like to see Vitali KO Valuev. Unfortunatly i would have to sit through the round after round of mind numbing “boxing”.
Bring on Haye-Vitali and end all the talk. Its good Haye has brought some interest to the HW’s but he needs to back it up. Bring on Ruiz (which Im hoping will be good) and then either brother, just to back up his talking.
"Good, so it can’t go any deeper." - Arturo Gatti after being told he was cut to the bone
by sigidy on Dec 14, 2009 11:19 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Dear Adamaek, Haye, Arreola
Please two of you fight each other. I don’t care where or who, just do it. Please save the HW division from horribly boring and uninteresting fights, and have a legitimate barn-burner! If I have to watch another Klitschko fight like Johnson or Maskaev, I might have to give u on this division for a while.
by waldo47 on Dec 15, 2009 6:18 AM EST reply actions 2 recs
Future Fights
Klitschko vs Maskaev, never happened at the PRO level, and since Oleg was iced in one last week by Nagy, thankfully never will. Adamek gets Jason Estrada next which will be a good dust-up, who knows with Arreola,..if he comes in 12 pds. over his previous fight weight like he did for Minto, he’ll be 275. He IS tough, he has fast hands, he has power, and he takes a good shot, he has little discipline when it comes to controlling his weight, and I don’t think he ever will. We’ll see how it plays out for him, had he weighed 235 for Vitali, it wouldn’t have mattered, he would’s still been outboxed. Wish these guys would fight each other,BEFORE, gettin’ a title shot. Johnson should never be allowed to talk before a fight again, a truly pitiful non-effort. Ruiz will give Haye a good fight and may just be able to pull it out. Povetkin should be up for one or two more fights before facing Wlad in july ‘10, Eddie Chambers is the best U.S. heavyweight. That said he’s not staying sharp, electing to wait on Wlad, a huge mistake,…just fight guys,… just fight!! Peace!!
by Iron Beach on Dec 15, 2009 7:02 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
had he weighed 235 for Vitali, it wouldn’t have mattered, he would’s still been outboxed.
On the surface, yes, but if Arreola weighed 235, it would mean he actually has dedication to being the best he can be, which is reflected not just in his weight but in his style. Arreola won the 2001 Golden Gloves as a light heavyweight. He has skills, and I think he has the ability somewhere in there to actually outbox Vitali, who I wouldn’t exactly count as a smooth criminal in there.
Actually, I don’t know that Arreola really cares about boxing the way a lot of the best fighters do; he’s just good at it. When he was 16 he had a lot of amateur fights but then he quit because he got bored. Then he came back and won the Golden Gloves. Then he took another break, and then he turned pro. And now he shows up on the scales at 263 pounds and cracks fun jokes and wants to be everyone’s big tough buddy with a heart of gold. I enjoy watching him fight for the most part, but I think I’m done really considering him any sort of major threat.
Bad Left Hook
"If bulls**t was poetry, Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini's name would be Shakespeare." -- Dennis Rappaport
by SC on Dec 15, 2009 5:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
One thing we can agree on is that at least Vitali is fighting on a regular schedule….not exactly a Henry Armstrong two fights a week schedule, but sure is better than a Jack Dempey one fight every two years route.
by FrankinDallas on Dec 15, 2009 10:21 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Yeah
I do appreciate how he fights so often and after his fight with Arreola I was genuinely glad that I could see him again soon. Not anymore though…
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Dec 15, 2009 10:25 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
List of things I'd rather watch than Vitali/Valuev (in no particular order)
1) Anything
2) Everything
That’s about it.
Wear something sexy to my funeral.
by Pops Daniels on Dec 15, 2009 1:12 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Actually, The "K" boys fight very often.
Both “K” brothers have proven to be quite an active pair in the ring… Its kinda’ like how Mike Tyson’s team was moving Tyson in 1987 and ‘88…….. Well, that’s good…….. The two brothers ALMOST have the division fully cleaned out….. Screw Dave Haye and his crapola……. After the “K” brothers hammer both “Chambers and Povetkin” the division will be dead…….. Odlainer Solis is up and coming, but still green and too puffy to be taken seriously right now…… The Klit’s rule………..
MR.BILL
Bill Petersen
MR.BILL
Raleigh, N.C.
by MRBILL40 on Dec 15, 2009 7:53 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Arreolas Lard A$$
BLH, while you make some good points,…on the night of the fight,…it was VK all the way. He had Chris where he wanted him,… on the end of his punches,..and CA could’ve been 235,… and it wouldn’t have mattered. Just like he could’ve weighed 235 for Minto, and it wouldn’t have mattered, he still gets rid of Brian in 4,…but V Klit is all wrong for him. Peace!!
by Iron Beach on Dec 16, 2009 7:44 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
and I think he has the ability somewhere in there to actually outbox Vitali,
This doesn’t mean that he came close to actually doing so in that fight or that he ever will box in such a way but in his youth he showed the talent which makes it seem that if he trained with real dedication he could become a much better boxer, and one capable of beating Vitali.
Also what’s with all the ellipses? Seems an odd way to write…
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Dec 16, 2009 8:59 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I tried to convince
myself that Arrola was a serious fighter, but then I’ve tried to convince myself that students whose papers I work harder on than they do might get it together too. No more, at least for Arreola: He just does not interest me. I might continue to delude myself about Haye—who seems to have a money plan only in mind—for a while longer though.
by Don From Prov on Dec 16, 2009 1:26 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
P.S.--Johnson
did not throw an avalanche of right hands at Klit, and I can’t recall if he threw any left hooks other than the one landed mid-fight. Not exactly unimpeachable or any in-depth analysis, but I would like to see more from someone often touted as ATG than I saw from a slightly guffed up Vitali. I know that all fighters look bad from time to time, and that opponents who are in the ring strictly to survive = a headache, but I still see the highlight of VK’s resume as losing to an out of shape LL who was ready to leave the sport anyway. I cannot picture (lack of imagination, boxing knowledge, insight?) Vitali throwing that arm punch of a right uppercut that he drops nearly to his waist and throws from the outside without someone like Joe Louis removing his jaw with a left hook.
by Don From Prov on Dec 16, 2009 1:44 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

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