Haye: Wlad's a coward

WBA heavyweight champion David Haye has branded Wladimir Klitschko a "coward" for opting to fight Dereck Chisora.

Haye had looked set for a unification showdown with IBF and WBO titlist Klitschko after lengthy negotiations with Ukrainian.

However Klitschko has now announced that he will now fight Haye's fellow Londoner Chisora on April 30.

And that has left Haye angry after the 30-year-old had agreed to every concession Klitschko had wanted in order for the fight to happen.

Haye said in a statement: "We agreed to a date of July 2 at a venue in Germany with both Sky Sports and RTL and everybody appeared happy with the deal.

"We made a few concessions to remove past stumbling blocks and were happy to do so, as it finally looked like the fight would get made.

"Even through negotiations, though, it was clear Wladimir was looking for the coward's way out. He would often come up with new obstacles and problems to overcome, and I never once sensed he fancied it.

"He refused to come to England, wanted to pick his own gloves, enter the ring second, box out of the red corner and demanded a German doctor.

"He also wanted his name to feature first on any promotional material ahead of the event. We bowed to each and every one of his demands. I didn't want to potentially jeopardise anything this time around."