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After what seems like an eternity, David finally meets Goliath when David Haye challenges Nikolai Valuev for his WBA Heavyweight Championship in Nuremberg, Germany tonight.
For Haye, this fight ends a year of inactivity.
After unifying the World Cruiserweight championship in March last year, Haye set his sights on heavyweight honours.
His first serious outing came 12 months ago against American veteran Monte Barrett. In an exciting fight, Barrett was finally stopped in the fifth round.
In Valuev, Haye meets a giant of a man. Standing 7 foot 2 inches tall and weighing over 300 pounds, Valuev presents a formidable foe.
The Russian Champion has only been beaten once in 51 fights when he dropped the WBA title for the first time against the tricky southpaw Ruslan Chagaev.
For a giant of a man, I feel Valuev has underrated boxing skills. In fact, he has stopped less than half of his opponents in title fights.
Haye, as we know, is an exciting fighter. He has the attitude that he will take you out before you take him out. This attitude cost him dearly in 2004 when he ran out of gas against the veteran Carl Thompson, losing in five.
For Haye to win tonight, I feel we need to see a different side of him. After seeing title fights against both Klitschkos fall through this year it’s now time to put up or shut up.
Haye, for all his big punching, may find himself hitting a brick wall in Valuev. Don’t forget Valuev, as well as having adequate boxing skills for a big man, also seems to have the necessary stamina. This was evident last time out against the superfit albeit veteran Evander Holyfield.
Can Haye do it? Yes, I do think he has it in him. However, the more and more I think about this one, I feel that my head leans toward Valuev.
Haye will have to box tonight to gain success but I think the fighter in him will see him try and explode the big bombs.
Valuev I feel will come through these and although I hate to say it, I think the Brit could be worn down for a late stoppage defeat.
