![\"Haye](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/David-Haye-Vitali-Klitschko.jpg\")
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Haye and Klitschko were supposed to fight in 2009, but negotiations collapsed<\/p>\n
Haye waged war on Vitali and his brother Wladimir after jumping up to boxing’s glamour division in 2008 in the wake of unifying the WBA, WBC and WBO cruiserweight belts.<\/a><\/p>\n Vitali had always been the primary target, and both camps quickly moved to make a fight after Haye<\/a> halted Monte Barrett inside five rounds in his second outing at heavyweight.<\/p>\n Everything appeared to be moving in the right direction.<\/p>\n Contracts were close to being signed for a bout on September 12, 2009 at Frankfurt’s 52,000-seater Commerzbank Arena.<\/p>\n READ MORE ON BOXING <\/p>\n However, a disagreement over the purse split resulted in talks dramatically collapsing.<\/p>\n There were multiple attempts to get the fight back on<\/a>, particularly after Haye was beaten by Wladimir in 2011,<\/a> but it never came to fruition. <\/p>\n Over a decade later, Haye candidly admits to talkSPORT.com that the biggest regret of his glittering career was not sharing the ring with the older Klitschko brother.<\/p>\n “The one I always wanted was Vitali Klitschko<\/a>,” said Haye.<\/p>\n “That was always the big one. But it never happened, and I regret that.<\/p>\n “He beat so many guys around the era, and he was a big, strong guy who kept coming forward.<\/p>\n 2<\/p>\n Haye did end up losing on points to Vitali’s brother Wladimir in 2011Credit: Getty – Contributor<\/p>\n “He’s not like his brother Wladimir, who is happy to win behind the jab.<\/p>\n “Vitali wants to damage you; he wants to come in and have a punch-up.<\/p>\n “And for that reason, I think our styles would have gelled nicely.<\/p>\n “A lot of people assume it would have been Tyson Fury<\/a>, but remember, when I was due to fight Tyson he hadn’t done anything at that stage.<\/p>\n “Looking back years later, obviously that would have been a mega fight, but he was just a prospect whereas Vitali had a legacy.<\/p>\n “I’d have loved to share the ring with him, but we couldn’t reach an agreement.”<\/p>\n Watch Boxing on DAZN<\/p>\n *If you click a link in this boxout, we will earn affiliate revenue<\/p>\n Sign up to DAZN<\/a> to access the definitive subscription for boxing fans.<\/p>\n Upgrade to DAZN Ultimate<\/a> from just \u00a324.99\/month, guaranteeing access to 185+ fights annually, a minimum of 12 pay-per-views at no extra cost, as well as every Lega Serie A match and other elite football access.<\/p>\n Alternatively, DAZN Standard<\/a> is just \u00a315.99\/month, with the caveat you will have to pay for pay-per-view events.<\/p>\n![\"Haye](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/l-ukraine-hits-david-haye-529005506.jpg\")
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