Speaking to Telegraph Boxing Correspondent Gareth A Davies, Wladimir Klitschko says David Haye's pre-fight stunts cannot compare to those of Muhammad Ali.
Speaking at a press conference in London as part of the launch of July 2's heavyweight showdown between the pair, the Ukranian fighter began to lecture his British opponent on his pre-fight conduct.
In the build-up to the pair's planned 2009 bout, cancelled when the Brit pulled out with a hand injury, Haye angered Klitschko by wearing a T-shirt showing the now WBA champion holding the severed heads of Wladimir and his brother, fellow heavyweight champion Vitali, above their decapitated bodies.
First IBO, IBF and WBO world champion Klitschko asked: "Would your mother like to see a picture of you with your head off?"
When the Telegraph's Gareth A Davies reminded him that Muhammad Ali employed similar tactics to sell tickets, Klitschko replied: "Muhammad Ali supported the black movement in the United States, he refused to go to Vietnam, he made hostages free in Iraq. He was big outside the ring. He was funny. I can laugh about Muhammad Ali and the way he promoted fights. I cannot laugh about T-shirts showing people with their heads off."
Speaking at a press conference in London as part of the launch of July 2's heavyweight showdown between the pair, the Ukranian fighter began to lecture his British opponent on his pre-fight conduct.
In the build-up to the pair's planned 2009 bout, cancelled when the Brit pulled out with a hand injury, Haye angered Klitschko by wearing a T-shirt showing the now WBA champion holding the severed heads of Wladimir and his brother, fellow heavyweight champion Vitali, above their decapitated bodies.
First IBO, IBF and WBO world champion Klitschko asked: "Would your mother like to see a picture of you with your head off?"
When the Telegraph's Gareth A Davies reminded him that Muhammad Ali employed similar tactics to sell tickets, Klitschko replied: "Muhammad Ali supported the black movement in the United States, he refused to go to Vietnam, he made hostages free in Iraq. He was big outside the ring. He was funny. I can laugh about Muhammad Ali and the way he promoted fights. I cannot laugh about T-shirts showing people with their heads off."
