Klitschko, 33, holds the
IBF, WBO, and IBO world heavyweight titles. A fight between Klitschko
and Valuev, holder of the WBA heavyweight belt, would arguably make the
winner the world`s unchallenged top heavyweight fighter.
Vladimir
Klitschko`s older brother Vitali, holds the WBC belt, but both
Klitschkos have rejected the idea of their ever fighting each other.
"Don
King is the problem, he is is setting the rules... so as to make a
(undisputed world championship) fight impossible," Vladimir Klitschko
said at a press conference here.
"We (the Klitschko brothers)
want a fight with Valuev... and it is our understanding that he
(Valuev) wants to fight me," Vladimir Klitschko said. "But it is clear
to us Donald King does not want the fight to happen."
Valuev
according to Vladimir Klitschko is managed by two boxing promoters,
with King holding right of final approval of terms under which the
Russian would fight.
King according to Klitschko has insisted
Valuev receive a greater share of the purse than Klitschko, and that
King receive sole promotion rights for the new undisputed champion`s
next three fights, no matter who wins the Klitschko-Valuev fight.
"These
terms obviously are unacceptable to us," Vitali Klitschko said. "As far
as we are concerned, this fight (a Valuev-Vladimir Klitschko bout)
would be an extremely interesting matchup between two equal title belt
holders, and we are only willing to begin talks from the assumption of
a 50 - 50 split of the proceeds."
Vladimir Klitschko in his last
fight successfully defended his three champion belts in a December bout
against American Hasim Rahman, stopping Rahman with a 7th round TKO.
Vitali
Klitschko held onto his WBC belt with 7th round win in October against
Nigerian Samuel Peter, and is scheduled to fight Cuban challenger Juan
Carlos Gomez in March.
King, 76, has been a longtime
controversial figure in American sports, and has faced numerous
multi-million dollar lawsuits over the years from boxers, including
former champs Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson, who argued he cheated them
out of money.
DPA via MSN
