Beaten WBA heavyweight champ Nikolai Valuev revealed his camp was divided over fighting David Haye.

Haye took the belt off the Russian giant by a majority decision in Nuremberg this month and speculation after the fight in Germany centred on Valuev's decision to make this voluntary defence.

WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko and former WBO heavyweight champion Sultan Ibragimov implied Valuev had not been well advised to take the fight.

But Valuev has posted comments on his company's website (www.box-way.ru) admitting that his American promoter Don King had not been totally in favour of the fight.

"To avoid confusion or misunderstandings in this situation, I would like to note that my American promoter Don King was opposed to me fighting David Haye," Valuev wrote.

"In fact, Don King was upset when he learned that I had agreed to fight Haye."

"My German co-promoters [Sauerland Event] did not inform Don King while the negotiations for this fight were being made.

"In the press, allegations that the American promoter supported this fight are unfounded and false.

"The choice of the opponent was made by Wilfried Sauerland. The idea to make this fight with David Haye came from Sauerland Event."