‘Sultan Ibragimov’

After three years of talking and postponements the heavyweight unification fight we all want to see is finally taking place at the magnificent Immtech Arena in Hamburg.

60,000 fight fans will at long last see WBA champion David Haye take on the WBO and IBF Champion Wladimir Klitschko in arguably the biggest heavyweight fight in a decade.

This is the Hayemaker's third title defence. After defeating the giant Nikolay Valuev back in November 2009 Haye has dispatched challengers John Ruiz and Audley Harrison in convincing fashion.

In all, this Hayes sixth fight in the heavyweight ranks. A former cruiserweight world champion he travelled to France in 2007 to defeat veteran Jean Marc Mormeck in seven rounds to win the title.

Only one defence would follow when he crushed domestic rival Enzo Maccarinelli in two rounds to unify the title.

For Haye, it's all about the big fights now. Vowing to retire on his 31st birthday, he wants to box both Klitschko brothers to try and clean up the division. More...

It started back in 2008, David Haye, 25-1-0, 23 KO’s, had just defeated Enzo Maccarinelli at cruiserweight to unify the division. Haye announced he would be moving up to heavyweight, and that his goal would be the same as the only other cruiserweight to move up to that division, and succeed, Evander Holyfield.

This of course meant he would be looking to take out the current residing champions and holders of the belts, brothers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko.

These two have dominated the heavyweight division for, well it seems like forever, but Vitali, who won the WBO belt in 1999, fought Lennox Lewis for the title back in 2003. Wladimir fought for his first world title in 2000.

The Haye vs. Klitschko fight has been on one minute, then off the next, then on with a different brother, then off again.

Haye has done his part to be fair, it really started with him cornering Wladimir at a charity event, and effectively calling him out to his face, and it did seem to put Wladimir on the back foot slightly.

Haye has followed that up by publicity stunts such a shooting a popular men’s magazine cover holding a likeness of Wladimir's decapitated head. In fact, Haye liked that so much he had a drawing commissioned of himself standing atop both brothers’ bodies, whilst holding their heads, and stuck it on a t-shirt. More...

© Jane Warburton / Saddo Boxing

The highly anticipated unification fight between IBF, WBO, IBO and “The Ring” World Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko and WBA titlist David Haye takes place at the Hamburg Imtech Arena, Germany on July 2. The stadium is the homefield of the German Bundesliga soccer club Hamburger SV.

After months of negotiations and a cancellation of the bout in June 2009, finally the clash of the two knockout kings will happen.

Bernd Bönte, Managing Director of Klitschko Management Group: „We are very glad that this mega fight will finally come true. We expect more than 150 TV stations worldwide to show the fight live or on a delay. Klitschko vs. Haye is definitely one of the top highlights in sport.” More...

Undefeated Cuban Olympic heavyweight gold medalist Odlanier “La Sombra” Solis (16-0, 12 KOs) will face the toughest test of his young career on Friday, Dec. 17 at American Airlines Arena in Miami when he meets WBC No. 1-ranked Ray “The Rainman” Austin (28-4-4, 18 KOs) with the winner earning the right to next face WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko.

Undefeated IBF light heavyweight champion Tavoris “Thunder” Cloud (21-0, 18 KOs), from Tallahassee, will appear in the co-featured bout, defending his crown against respected Colombian puncher Fulgencio Zuniga (24-4-1, 21 KOs). More...

It could be called a matchup over 10 years too late.

Two heavyweight veterans meet tonight for the WBC heavyweight title when the German based Ukrainian Vitali Klitschko makes his fifth defence, facing Shannon Briggs in Hamburg.

For Klitschko, this is his third reign as a world heavyweight champion. Back in 1999, Klitschko bludgeoned the Brit Herbie Hide in two rounds to win the WBO version of the title.

After losing the title on a shoulder injury to Chris Byrd in 2000, Klitschko would go on to valiantly give Lennox Lewis all the trouble he could handle in June 2003 in a bout for the WBC title. In that brawl, Lewis was shaken on more than one occasion before Klitschko would lose due to horrendous cuts in the sixth round.

Vitali would clamour for a rematch but this would never happen. Lewis retired and Klitschko would go on to claim the vacated crown one year later. After one defence against the brave Danny Williams in 2004, Klitschko would himself retire from the ring due to injury.

Four years later in a fight against Samuel Peter for his old WBC version, it was like Dr. Ironfist had never been away as he took back his honours in eight one sided rounds.

In Shannon Briggs, Klitschko meets arguably his biggest name opponent in what could be called his second career. One year younger at 38, although born in the same year as Klitschko, Briggs has boxed 58 times, losing just five times. More...