Sports - MMA/Boxing

On Wednesday, when former cruiserweight champion David Haye backed out of the fight with Wladimir Klitschko scheduled for June 20th, it brought much disappointment to boxing fans everywhere. Apparently, things have worked out for the better after all. WBA heavyweight champ Ruslan Chagaev has agreed to step in for Haye and face Klitschko. Plus, the vacant Ring Magazine title will be on the line as Klitschko is ranked number one by the Ring and Chagaev is ranked number three. The bout will still take place at a 60,000-seat soccer stadium in Gelsenkirchen, Germany on June 20th.

All the fighters have to do now is sign the dotted lines.

When Haye pulled out of the fight on Wednesday with an injury, it was said to be a hand injury. Then it was said to be a back injury. He asked that the fight only be postponed for 3 weeks, till July 11th. Klitschko’s camp considered Haye’s request but decided that it was too risky. If they agreed and Haye was not recovered by then, Klitschko would have to wait months for his next fight. Fortunately, it may have been the right choice; Haye’s team later asked that it be postponed till July 25th instead.

Finding a step-in for Haye did not appear to be an issue once he announced that he would not be able to fight on June 20th. Immediately, it was reported that names such as Kevin Johnson, Brian Minto, Odlanier Solis, and Chazz Witherspoon all expressed interest in facing Wladimir Klitschko (52-3, 46 KOs) on June 20th. Klitschko preferred to face Chris Arreola over the other names, but he was told that Arreola needed more time to train and would not be available. Then Ruslan Chagaev (25-0-1, 17 KOs) came into the mix.

Chagaev was scheduled to fight Nikolai Valuev on May 30th in Finland but was shown to have a hepatitis B in his system and was not allowed to fight. Klitschko has spoken openly about the situation in Finland and did not see any problem with Chagaev fighting, as long as his opponent took a hepatitis shot beforehand. When Chagaev became an option as a step-in opponent to face Klitschko, he immediately became a priority.

When Haye was scheduled to be Klitschko’s opponent, the bout seemed to have more attraction universally because of Haye's charisma, and it was to be televised on HBO. However, now that Chagaev is Klitschko’s opponent, numerous sources are reporting that HBO has rejected the match-up.

It was recently announced that ESPN Classic will televise the bout live from Germany at 5pm Eastern.

It is unusual when a replacement fighter is better than the original opponent.
Haye is a former crusierweight champion but has not fought at heavyweight many times. Chagaev on the other hand is undefeated and has held the WBA title since his defeat of Nikolai Valuev in April of ‘07. Chagaev is still the only man to have defeated Valuev and has been the only non-Klitschko with a major world title since Wladimir has the IBF and WBO belts while Vitali has the WBC strap.

Even if the World Boxing Association decides to award Valuev with the undisputed WBA title due to Chagaev’s failure to make his defense in Finland, the winner of Klitschko-Chagaev will claim the Ring Magazine title. The Ring Magazine belt has not been claimed since its last owner, Vitali Klitschko, made his temporary retirement in 2005.

If Valuev is rewarded the WBA title, it should open the door for Vitali to go after a second title. Both Valuev and Vitali have expressed interest in facing each other.

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