Vitali 'close' to Haye deal

David Haye is close to signing for a fight against WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko on September 12.

September date mooted for WBC title bout

David Haye is close to signing for a fight against WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko on September 12. Haye was forced to withdraw from his battle in Gelsenkirchen against IBF and WBO title holder Wladimir Klitschko after suffering a back injury two weeks before the June 20 bout. However, he has declared himself fit and is ready to take on either of the brothers with a September date already being mooted. But with Wladimir facing a mandatory defence of his IBF title against Alexander Povetkin and Vitali free to fight whoever he pleases after fulfilling his obligations with a victory over Juan Carlos Gomez earlier this year, the elder of the two is now firmly in the frame. "The back is fine and I've had a few session on it," he said. "I'm looking to step up training next week and I can't wait for the fight to be announced. "If I fight a Klitschko the fight will probably be in Germany so it's all about me going over there and doing the business." Wladimir defeated late stand-in Ruslan Chagaev in front of 61,000 fans in Gelsenkirchen, most of whom bought tickets to see the Ukrainian take on Haye. It is likely a football stadium will once again be the venue if Vitali agrees to the fight, with Gelsenkirchen, Dusseldorf and Frankfurt said to be in the frame.