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By Johnny Walker
Emanuel Steward, trainer of The Ring magazine-recognized world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, took to the airwaves on Sky Sports today to refute WBA heavyweight champion David Haye’s claim that Steward offered his services to Camp Hayemaker for a fight against Wladimir’s older brother, WBC heavyweight kingpin Vitali, in the anticipation that Haye would first demolish Steward’s fighter on July 2 in Hamburg, Germany.
Earlier today on Sky Sports, Haye doubled down in his claims about Steward betraying the Klitschko camp.
“I bumped into [Steward] in the Hard Rock Casino [in Miami],” said Haye. “There was some fights on, we sat down and had a chat for about an hour, he’s a really nice guy. And he said, after I’ve beat Wladimir, ‘I’ll train you to fight Vitali.’
“I know he’s got some beef with Vitali … Vitali’s been banned from Wladimir’s training camps because Vitali doesn’t believe in Emanuel Steward’s training philosophies, whatever they are,” Haye continued. “And that was pretty much it. [Steward] said he already trained Lennox Lewis to beat Vitali, and he knows the secrets to do it, so he’d want to be on Team Hayemaker for that fight. That was about two months ago when I was in Miami, training.”
Later in the day, the veteran trainer took to the Sky Sports airwaves to refute Haye’s story, and claimed that reports of a rift between himself and Vitali Klitschko are just fiction.
“Pure rubbish,” said Steward, who did not clarify if he did or did not meet with Haye in Miami.
“Even if [Haye] did not have a match coming up with Wladimir, it would be totally unethical, and I would never do something like that, to train someone to fight the brother of someone I’m close to. But I’ve worked and trained with Vitali also, it’s a very close relationship we have. It’s not just a contractual deal like I’ve been in in some situations. I’m extremely close with Vitali and Wladimir.
“And for no amount of money would I do anything like that. The fighters I’ve been the closest with, are Thomas Hearns, Lennox Lewis, and I’d put Wladimir Klitschko on that same level. I’m extremely close with Wladimir and Vitali, and we spend a lot of time [together] beyond just the training camps and the boxing. So I would never do anything like that – it would be totally unethical and immoral” a bemused Steward explained.
As for the man Haye is actually fighting this Saturday, Wladimir Klitschko told dailymail.co.uk today that Haye is now sitting around in his hotel room in Hamburg, Germany, dreaming up crazy scenarios to try to avoid the reality of the upcoming clash.
“Do you believe all this nonsense? We’ve been hearing a lot of trash from David Haye and this is another thing he’s created in his hotel room,” said Wladimir.
“But little by little the reality is hitting home.”
