Heayvweight Klitschko, 'fleaweight' Panettiere BOTH rip David Haye

Just when it looked like Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye were about to deliver a sorely-needed stimulus package for the moribund heavyweight division, plans for a sure to be explosive fight between the champions has blown up.
Instead of calling each other out for a July 2 brawl, the Ukrainian fighter and the British boxer are just calling each other names.

Klitschko, whose brother Vitali also holds a world title belt in the Big Boys division, attended the red carpet premiere of the sizzling, FX network boxing theme program, "Lights Out (no, wiseguy, it has nothing to do with James Toney) at the posh Hudson Theater in midtown Manhattan Wednesday night.

WKlit, who stands 6-6 and weighs about 230 pounds, strolled down the red carpet with his date, Hollywood hottie Hayden Pannetiere, daughter of a Brooklyn fireman who grew up in Rockland County.

(Trivia buffs may recall the Hudson Theater as the scene of a Mike Tyson-Lennox Lewis press conference which erupted into a wild brawl.)

"I liked this show very much," Klitschko said. "It came across as being very real, like boxing really is."

(Critics from Rolling Stone to the Las Vegas Review-Journal and many websites are also raving so it looks like boxing refugeee John Solberg and colleagues at FX have  major hit on their hands. Series debuts Jan. 11 and I think this show may be for boxing what "The Sopranos" was for the mob.)

Petite Panettiere, who stands 5-1, looks like a mini-fyweight standing next to her BF

I made that observation to Klitschko, being careful to stay outside the reach of his long jab.

Instead of being upset, Wladimir laughed, "She is more like a fleaweight."

Before we return to the Haye-Klitschko mess, I informed the personable actress ("Heroes" on which she plays a cheerleader) that my readers enjoy her bikini shots but have no interest in seeing her beefcake buddy in swimwear.

"Why," Panettiere cracked, "because all you guys would be so jealous!"

I gave that round to Panettiere.

I informed Klitschko that Haye and manager-trainer Adam Booth are back to branding him a coward because he is fulfilling a prior contract to defend against minimally experienced (14 pro bouts) Dereck Chisora, a bout which was set for Dec. 11 but was scrapped days before due to Klitschko having stomach pain.

Now it seems it's Haye and Booth who can't stomach Wlad.

"I don't care about that," Klitschko said. "This guy needs an attitude adjustment which I hoped to give him in the ring.

"Haye makes all these demands, all sorts of problems, like he thinks he is the (true) champion. I am the real champion and, as for Booth, this guy calls himself a manager and a trainer but, in reality, he is only a trainer. He's not qualified to be a manager and his conduct proves that."

Even Ms. Panettiere piped up on the subject.

"All Haye does is run his mouth and talk trash," Panettiere said. "Haye is just afraid because he knows he will get beaten badly."

I told you guys this lady's a New Yorker, not a shrinking violet.

Haye holds the WBA belt while Vitali is the WBC champ and his younger brother is the WBO and IBF beltholder. Ring magazine also recognized Wlad as heavyweight champion so he has three shiny world title belts.

Speaking to UK newspaper The Guardian, Haye insulted Klitschko but said the two might still collide this summer.

Haye will go foreward with a defense against ex-champ Ruslan Chagaev, who used to be known as "the White Tyson" before his career kept being stalled by injuries. Haye keeps insisting that come October, when he turns 31, he will quit boxing.

"Fight fans just want to see the best against the best – if only it was that simple," Haye said. "For this fight, I thought we had gotten over all of the obstacles, I even renegotiated my own current promoters contract to allow the Klitschkos to get what they wanted out of the fight.

"They wanted to fight in Germany, I said 'okay'. We made sure our mandatory challenger could be put on the backburner, had agreements from all the TV networks. Very rarely in boxing do you get a situation where you have all the pieces of the puzzle, all the politics have been smoothed over.

"He wanted to come in second, to have his name first on the promotion posters – we said 'okay, let's just make this super fight happen which everyone wants to see'.

"Then all of sudden he announces he is fighting [Chisora], knowing I have to then fight Chagaev. To then fight me after is impossible - it is a shame he has now shown his true colours."

Haye added: "He is scared of getting knocked out and does not want to lose, fighting people on a good run. What is wrong with now? Nothing. It does not make sense, especially after all the public campaign to get me in the ring.

"This would be a once in a life-time fight. Once I retire, people will always ask him 'why did you not fight David Haye?' and he will have to live with that.

"It is pretty sad but shows the mindset of Wladimir Klitschko and why he will go down in history as a heavyweight who just fought the worst possible people out there."

Haye does make a valid point in saying that the boxing public does not care a whit about Chisora challenging Wladimir.

That fight is set for London on April 30.

I get the distinct feeling that Prince William and Kate Middleton will attract more attention with their Royal Wedding a day before that bout.

The Royal Wedding will last a longer than the fight also.

(mlcmarley@aol.com)