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Klitschko ready to silence Haye

HAMBURG, Germany, May 10 – World heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko said Monday he is looking forward to silencing brash Brit David Haye's insults when the pair clash in a unification bout on July 2.

Klitschko, 35, who holds the IBF, IBO and WBO heavyweight titles, takes on WBA champion Haye in just under eight weeks with a 57,000-strong crowd expected here in Hamburg at the open-air football stadium.

"All this hype and interest is great for the division, but there will come a time when the talking stops and we find out who is the real champion," said Klitschko, who has now recovered from an abdominal injury.

There is no love-lost between the pair who were due to meet two years ago in Gelsenkirchen, but a back injury forced Haye out.

Haye has repeatedly hurled insults at both the Ukrainian and his elder brother Vitali, the WBC heavyweight title holder.

‘Bitchko’, ‘an idiot’, ‘Vitali’s sister’ and ‘a fraudster’ are just some of the remarks Haye, 30, has hurled and before the cancelled 2009 bout, he posed for a mocked up image of him brandishing Klitschko’s severed head.

Haye has promised to knock-out Klitschko and even threatened to ‘decapitate’ the imposing Ukrainian, but ‘Dr Steelhammer’ has just said he will make Haye his 50th knock-out when the pair meet.

While Klitschko has 55 wins at heavyweight, Haye has only had four fights at the higher division having come up from cruiserweight.

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Haye has 25 wins and 23 knock-outs from 26 fights with just one defeat.

He won the WBA title by beating Nikolai Valuev over 12 rounds in November 2009 and has defended his title twice, while Klitschko has held the IBF belt since 2006.

"Wladimir thinks that he (Haye) is not the toughest opponent he has faced but let’s see," said the Ukrainian’s manager Bernd Bonte.

"I think it is a very interesting fight and it is the first time we have had a unification fight in many years."

Klitschko insists the fight has only happened because he has met Haye’s demands for half the fight purse.

"I have to tell the truth, I made this fight happen," he said.

"David Haye gets 50 per cent of the deal, I didn’t think he deserved it with his performances in the past.

"But the man has been promoting himself and insulting the Klitschko brothers in a disrespectful way.

"I made it happen, he signed the contract and I hope this hype won’t be for nothing and the fight happens."

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While Haye is talking of July 2 as the day he becomes the undisputed champion of the world, Klitschko was showing business sense by saying the fight will inject some much-needed excitement into the heavyweight division.

"This is exciting for the division and I am thrilled the fight will happen," said Klitschko.

"We are hoping 10,000 British fans will come, I have seen how they are at football games in the UK.

"They are singing and they are really loud, it is going to be an exciting mix of cultures here."

While Haye is promising an early knock-out, Klitschko has always said he wants to make the Brit pay for his comments and then knock him out only in the 12th and final round.

"I have to give a lot of respect to David Haye, he is a really exciting fighter, he is a really good puncher, he’s very quick," he said.

"It’s not going to be an easy job for me, but I know what to expect and I know what to do.

"I will use any advantage, my game plan hasn’t changed in the last two years.

"They will be 12 long rounds and I hope he won’t give up or get knocked out.

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"My plan is to hold him up until the final fight and then knock him out."

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