LONDON (AP) -British boxer David Haye's first foray into the heavyweight division could also be his last if he fails to defeat American Monte Barrett.
Haye moved up to heavyweight after unifying three cruiserweight world titles in March and said his main target is Ukrainian world champion Wladimir Klitschko, who holds the IBF and WBO titles.
But first Haye must get past Barrett in a fight he describes as a ``massive gamble.''
``I don't want to waste anyone's time,'' Haye said Thursday. ``If I can't get through Monte, then what's the point? I'm definitely not going to beat Wladimir Klitschko, so I might as well call it a day.''
Haye, 21-1 with 20 knockouts, will meet Barrett on Nov. 15 at London's 02 Arena. Haye hopes to beat another boxer ranked in the top 10 early next year before meeting Klitschko at some stage in 2009.
The 37-year-old Barrett has won 34 fights, with six losses, but two of those defeats were to world champions Nikolai Valuev and Hasim Rahman, and another to future world champion Klitschko.
But Barrett put up creditable performances against them. He lost on points to Rahman, was knocked out in the 11th round against Valuev and rose five times from the canvas against Klitschko before the fight was stopped in the seventh round.
Most recently, Barrett produced a first-round knockout of Tye Fields and hopes a victory over Haye could lead to another shot at Klitschko.
``I'm happy that David stepped up to fight,'' Barrett said. ``He had so many different opportunities to fight so many different guys in the division. I'm the most dangerous fighter out of all the guys. ... I'm the most focused. I'm the most hungry.''
For Haye, fighting Barrett - ranked 6th by the WBO - is a means of establishing his credibility in the heavyweight division.
``People know what they're getting with Barrett,'' Haye said. ``He's been fighting world-class heavyweights and hanging with them for years.''
Haye is ranked 3rd by the WBO despite never having fought in the heavyweight division.
Haye conceded that making the move up was a gamble, but that he wanted to see if he could handle the extra punching power of heavyweights.
``He's going to test my chin,'' Haye said of Barrett. ``I'm looking forward to finding out what happens when I get hit by a genuine heavyweight ... You can either take it or you can't.''
Haye said that he's hoping to emulate Evander Holyfield, who successfully made the transition from cruiserweight to heavyweight world champion, twice beating Mike Tyson.
``Evander's one of my idols, I'd like to do the same as he did,'' said Haye, adding that not having to slim down to make cruiserweight would give him more power and resilience.
``I think it will be a big difference,'' Haye said. ``It's no secret I've always struggled to make weight.''
