Boxing: Dereck Chisora determined to have title shot

(GETTY IMAGES)

Dereck Chisora insists he will not let fellow Briton David Haye scupper his chances of a shot at the world heavyweight title.

Chisora, 26, was set to face IBF and WBO champion Wladimir Klitschko in Mannheim, Germany on Sunday, but the Ukrainian fighter has been forced to pull out of the fight with an abdominal problem.

Klitschko's injury is not believed to be serious and he could be back in the gym within six weeks, paving the way for a lucrative showdown with WBA king Haye in the new year.

This is a chain of events that British and Commonwealth champion Chisora is determined to avoid and claims Klitschko must honour their original agreement

He told BBC Radio 5 live: "He offered the fight and he has to fight me. We want that fight.

"I'm looking to be big in this sport and then the guy pulled out.

"We've got a clause in our contract saying the fight is going to happen anyway but we'll just have to wait and see now."

A clash between Haye and either Klitschko or his older brother - WBC champion Vitali - has been mooted since the Bermondsey fighter unified the cruiserweight division and stepped up to heavyweight two years ago.

An agreement was reached for Haye to fight Wladimir in June 2009, but an injury to the Londoner scuppered that meeting and negotiations between the two camps have since been fraught and fruitless.

Nevertheless talk of the two fighters meeting has not abated, and yesterday Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, who represents Haye in the USA, spoke of his desire to make the bout happen in Las Vegas next year.

Klitschko's withdrawal from Saturday's clash has heightened that possibility, but Chisora claims he will not step aside.

"I'm in the papers now, I'm in the limelight and everybody wants to see what I've got in the ring," he said.

"People are going to be tuning in to watch me now.

"Him and David Haye, that's going to have to wait for a bit because he has to go past me now.

"I feel sorry for my team because some of them sacrificed a lot, some of them left work for a month-and-a-half to come and work for me unpaid, and then they get this blow.

"We're not in it for the money. We were fighting for no good money, we were fighting for pride and to prove we're the best in the game, so we're not stepping aside."

Klitschko's camp have confirmed the champion has suffered an abdominal injury, not a back problem as was initially reported.

"The abdominal muscle is injured and therefore Wladimir Klitschko will not be able to fight on Saturday", said Dr. Sven Roessing, orthopaedic specialist at University Hospital Mannheim in a statement released by Klitschko's K2 Promotions.

The injury was sustained during a final session with trainer Emmanuel Steward ahead of Saturday's bout.

"He was hitting the mitts and it just happened," Klitschko's manager Bernd Boente told ESPN.com. "The pain is extreme. He couldn't even sit in the car on the way to the hospital."

"The doctor said he needs four to six weeks to heal.

"Wladimir has never had to cancel a fight before. He is totally upset."