DAVID HAYE is a man with a plan and a man in a hurry. The plan, first contemplated when he took up boxing as a 10-year-old, is to become the best heavyweight in the world. The urgency is to fulfil his promise to get out of the game before his 31st birthday.

By defeating Nikolai Valuev and winning the WBA world heavyweight title, Haye has taken a giant stride towards both objectives but the hard part is still to come. The Ukrainian brothers, Vatali and Wladimir Klitschko, who hold the WBC, IBF and WBO versions of the title, are the men Haye must beat to realise his ambitions. He has the time to do it, with just over 700 days before his 31st birthday. And now that he holds one of the titles, he is in a stronger bargaining position to persuade the brothers to share a ring with him on acceptable terms.

Haye insulted the amiable Valuev for all he was worth, and he has already begun the process with the brothers Klitschko, calling one of them “Bitchko”.

He knows that with the heavyweight division just about moribund in the United States, where the real money lies, such cheap shots are good for business and might excite the interest of a Las Vegas hotelier. For the past couple of years, the big heavyweight fights have been staged in Germany and Switzerland, but Haye against one of the Klitschkos could be an American extravaganza. But would Haye win? The Klitschkos are not as big as Valuev but they are a lot better; and at 6ft 8in (Vitali) and 6ft 7in (Wladimir), they are substantially bigger than Haye. They both can box and are dangerous hitters. Vitali, the elder brother, has been defeated only once, by Lennox Lewis, and was unfortunate the fight was stopped for a cut when he was leading on points.

Haye was scheduled to fight Wladimir in June but pulled out two weeks before the contest. A hand injury was first cited, then a back problem. Cynics suggested the injury was in the region of Haye’s wallet, for Setanta Sports, who were providing Haye’s cut of the purse, were about to go bust. He was impressive as the undisputed cruiserweight champion but his career as a heavyweight is less convincing.

Last December, he threw caution and discipline to the wind and engaged in a brawl against Monte Barrett, a 37-year-old journeyman. Haye knocked Barrett down five times, proving he has a destructive punch at any weight, but was knocked down himself, reminding us of his vulnerability and of the one defeat that mars his record. In 2004, Haye punched himself out in four rounds and was knocked cold by Carl Thompson, who was some way past his best. He insists that he learnt a great deal that night but his performance against Barrett suggests otherwise. Neither does beating Valuev have any bearing on what might happen when Haye fights one of the Klitschkos.

The plan is for Haye to beat them both, make his fortune in Las Vegas and retire as the heavyweight king. It’s a nice scenario for a man who started out from a council flat in Bermondsey with a dream. Most boxing stories end with penury and pain. Most fighters insist they will know when to quit, but don’t. Maybe Haye can live the fairy tale. But don’t bank on it.