Boxing: Holyfield targets Haye title fight

Evander Holyfield has challenged WBA champion David Haye to give him a title shot. Despite turning 48 next month, Holyfield remains on the fringes of the heavyweight title picture as he stubbornly fights on, and the American wants to fight either Haye or one of the Klitschko brothers, with Vitali the WBC champion and Wladimir the IBF/WBO holder.

In 2008, Holyfield was unfortunate to lose a decision to then-WBA champion Nikolai Valuev, whom Haye subsequently beat last year. Holyfield defeated fellow veteran Frans Botha in April to pick up the fairly meaningless WBF belt and his next fight is against Sherman Williams in November. The two-weight world champion believes he can win a version of the world heavyweight title for the fifth time.

Holyfield said: "I'm looking at both the Klitschko brothers and David Haye. I want to fight the people with the titles. I'm fighting this Williams guy because I need to stay active. I just can't wait to get to the guys with these three belts. So, whenever they are ready... the only thing that attracts them is that if they want a big pay-day, they have got to fight somebody that the people know.

"I'm still the most popular heavyweight that is fighting. It's obvious that if they felt I was an easy fight, they would go ahead and fight me. But they realise they don't want to get duked by the old man. But if they want to make money, I'm the guy they need to fight."

Holyfield added: "My people have talked with the older Klitschko brother [Vitali] and his manager but right now everybody's busy with fights. I've been doing this a long time, 38 years. I'm good at what I do."

As for his motivation, Holyfield, who dreams of breaking George Foreman's record as the oldest world heavyweight champion – Foreman was 45 when he last held the title – insists there remains plenty of incentive. "With anything in life you lose something but you gain something," he said. "The most important thing is that you gain more than you lose.

"People say 'you're too old'. But what's the point of living if you can't set goals? It's not how you start, it's how you end."