LONDON — IBF and WBO champion Wladimir Klitschko and WBA title holder David Haye have finally agreed to fight, setting up an eagerly anticipated heavyweight title bout for this summer.
After months of failed negotiations, both boxers confirmed Sunday the fight should take place June 25 or July 2 at a venue in Germany that is yet to be confirmed.
“I am really pleased that we have closed a deal on this fight,” Klitschko, 34, told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.
The announcement came a day after Klitschko pulled out of a planned title defense against British challenger Derek Chisora on April 30 because the Ukrainian said he hadn’t recovered from a torn abdominal muscle.
Haye, 30, pulled out of a fight with Klitschko in 2009 with a back injury and talks between the two camps had collapsed several times since.
“This is the match the boxing world has been calling for since I first decided to step into the heavyweight division, and I feel it is my destiny to fight and beat Wladimir Klitschko,” said Haye, who plans to retire in October.
Klitschko has a 55-3 record with 49 knockouts, while Haye is 25-1 with 23 stoppages inside 12 rounds.
Klitschko’s manager, Bernd Boente, said the fight against Haye could take place at one ofthe three soccer stadiums in Germany — Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen or Kaiserslautern.
