Wladimir Klitschko earned a second-round technical knockout to defend his IBF title on Saturday, and then his camp spent most of the postfight press conference blaming Don King, who promotes Austin, for holding up a heavyweight division unification fight.
Klitschko said talks with WBA champion Nikolai Valuev for a June or July fight will begin, assuming the 2.13m unbeaten Russian beats Ruslan Chagaev on April 14.
Klitschko's manager Bernd Broente said they will try to work with German promoter Wilfried Sauerland, who co-promotes Valuev along with King.
"Valuev wants it and I want it," Klitschko said. "But you can imagine how hard it is to deal with Don King."
The Klitschko camp blamed King for holding up their attempts at unification several times.
Valuev, who watched the fight from a hotel room in Berlin, said he wanted to fight Klitschko too.
"Brother, see you in the ring," Valuev said. "Of course it depends on my management."
Klitschko and older brother Vitali Klitschko promote themselves.
"This fight is about more than two fighters, it's about two promoters," said Vitali Klitschko, the former WBC champion planning a comeback.
Wladimir Klitschko won his latest defense rather easily. After measuring Austin for one round, the Ukrainian knocked down the American 87 seconds into the second with at least three left hooks. The American climbed to his feet but referee Eddie Cotton stopped the fight.
"I was surprised he got back up, but he wasn't clear in the head," Klitschko said. "I was motivated by the talk from Austin and his promoter, Don King, before the fight."
Klitschko improved his record to 48-3 with 43 knockouts in the mandatory defense.
Neither Austin nor King, both of whom had called Klitschko heartless before the bout, showed up at the post-fight press conference.
Austin didn't land a meaningful blow in the first round.
Klitschko maneuvered Austin onto the ropes, snapped his head sideways with the first left hook, and then followed with a series of hooks, some missing as the American fell to the canvas.
RSS