Chagaev can make hay as David's replacement.

Byline: Barry McGuigan 

DAVID HAYE is in for an uncomfortable night, and it has nothing to do with back trouble.

A packed Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, was supposed to be the site tonight of his coronation as heavyweight champion of the world.

His withdrawal opened the door to Ruslan Chagaev, who must be rubbing his hands at the prospect of facing Wladimir Klitschko after the blood test that ruled him out of the WBA bout against Nikolai Valuev.

Haye's back will go into spasm if Chagaev pulls off the victory he saw as his. And he might.

I note that Manny Steward has likened Klitschko to his other great charge Lennox Lewis. In a sense he is.

Lewis became a chess player following his defeat to Oliver McCall. The same caution has crept into Klitschko's game.

How could it be otherwise with a chin as vulnerable as his? I would be surprised if Chagaev prevails tonight, but he could if he connects early and hard.

The real defeat is Haye's. He showed tremendous audacity to pull off the Klitschko coup as the opponent in a voluntary defence.

He picked the right brother but was never going to be on the right side of the negotiations because he had no power.

The back problem was unfortunate.

I have to take the boxer at his word. There are some who have called his decision into question.

Had he been able to go forward with the bout, he would not have received a penny from the gate, or from German TV money. Haye's deal was linked to his relationship with Setanta. The coincidence of back trouble with Setanta's financial frailties prompted some to speculate that physical impairment might not have been the only root of Haye's problems.

Either way he is on the outside looking in. To make his way in the heavyweight world in the short term Haye needs television backing.

Without it he is at the mercy of the world sanctioning bodies with whom he has no purchase. He is not ranked by any of the major bodies, which means he has no mandatory route to a title shot.

He has had only two fights as a heavyweight against fringe players at best. Tomasz Bonin and Monte Barrett are hardly platforms from which to launch a claim to CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE: www.barrymcguigan.com greatness. Even as a boxer with championship pedigree at cruiserweight it is a long march to contention if he has to build through the rankings.

So it comes down to clever negotiation and TV backing. That is where the power lies in boxing in the 21st century.

It is no longer about belts, as we have seen with Ricky Hatton's engagements against Floyd Mayweather Jnr. and Manny Pacquiao. It is about the right political alignments.

Haye has to think carefully about his next step. He has a huge selling point as an Afro-Caribbean heavyweight in the age of Eastern European dominance.

Above all else he is a huge talent. So he brings plenty to the table. The point for him is to make sure he is at the right table.

Then we'll see his career take off.

CAPTION(S):

TITLES ON THE LINE Wladimir Klitschko faces a stiff test against Ruslan Chagaev