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It started back in 2008, David Haye, 25-1-0, 23 KO’s, had just defeated Enzo Maccarinelli at cruiserweight to unify the division. Haye announced he would be moving up to heavyweight, and that his goal would be the same as the only other cruiserweight to move up to that division, and succeed, Evander Holyfield.
This of course meant he would be looking to take out the current residing champions and holders of the belts, brothers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko.
These two have dominated the heavyweight division for, well it seems like forever, but Vitali, who won the WBO belt in 1999, fought Lennox Lewis for the title back in 2003. Wladimir fought for his first world title in 2000.
The Haye vs. Klitschko fight has been on one minute, then off the next, then on with a different brother, then off again.
Haye has done his part to be fair, it really started with him cornering Wladimir at a charity event, and effectively calling him out to his face, and it did seem to put Wladimir on the back foot slightly.
Haye has followed that up by publicity stunts such a shooting a popular men’s magazine cover holding a likeness of Wladimir’s decapitated head. In fact, Haye liked that so much he had a drawing commissioned of himself standing atop both brothers’ bodies, whilst holding their heads, and stuck it on a t-shirt.
The Klitschkos have not liked any of these stunts, they see Haye as a wannabe, someone who hits below the belt and is childish. Say what you like, Haye knows how to sell a fight, and lets not forget that these stunts opened the door for this fight to happen.
Moreover, it does need to happen. The heavyweight division was at one point sacred, the holy grail of boxing. Highly competitive, it resonates around the globe, no other division in boxing touches Joe Public like the heavyweights.
And this is the first truly competitive and exciting fight we have had in the division since Lewis vs. Tyson back in 2002; Vitali Klitschko vs. Lewis was good but ended badly.
So Haye has what he wanted, Wladimir in the ring tonight with the IBO, IBF, WBO and WBA heavyweight titles on the line. It’s near enough unification, and that was the goal for Haye. That’s what he said he wanted, that’s what all the noise and publicity was all about, just the one hurdle left to clear, actually fighting Dr.Steelhammer.
Wladimir Klitschko had a glittering amateur career culminating in a Gold medal at the 1996 summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. His record as a pro stands at 55-3-0 with 49 KO’s. That is a record of a man not to be taken lightly, no matter what you have heard Haye say regarding Wlad’s Jab-Jab-Grab tactics, Haye will be taking this very, very seriously indeed.
Klitschko has fought many marquee names through the years. were they at their best? Questionable. Were they turning up to get paid? Probably. Were they cherry picked? Almost definitely.
Still the list reads impressively. Monte Barrett, Chris Byrd twice, Francois Botha, Ray Mercer, Corrie Sanders, Lamon Brewster twice, Samuel Peter twice, Calvin Brock, Sultan Ibragimov, Tony Thompson, Hasim Rahman, Ruslan Chagaev and Eddie Chambers.
That is a lot of heavyweight experience, but Lamon Brewster knocked Klitschko out in their first encounter, as did Corrie Sanders, as did Ross Purity.
Klitschko avenged the Brewster fight, but it shows vulnerability, to a point. Bottom line is, at heavyweight these are big boys, with big punches.
No one in that list was particularly fresh though, no up and comers, hungry for the title. No one like David Haye. Klitschko is fantastic at dictating the pace behind a well-educated and powerful jab, and breaking his opponents down before stopping them late on in the fight.
There have been so many occasions where an opponent has come over to take Klitschko’s title, bringing speed to the table, or power to the table or experience. It always seems that they have watched Wladimir’s slow, lumbering boring fights, think they can figure him out, and bring something new that he can’t handle. Since 2004, all have failed.
It seems either all have unravelled upon being in there, or they really did turn up just to get paid. Klitschko is good at doing what he does, despite being labelled a robot by Haye.
He has huge power, in both hands, and I think that most challengers get in there with pre-conceived ideas about how slow and methodical he will be, and are almost surprised when he takes them out of their game plan and breaks them down.
As most Eastern block fighters do, Klitschko fights from an upright stance, with quick 1-2’s and neat little left hooks. He leans back quite a bit as opposed to slipping or using lateral movement.
That suits Haye down to the ground. Haye has far more tools in his box than Wladimir. We have seen him fight long and disciplined against Nikolay Valuev, and we have seen him be explosive when he needs to be. He carries heavy hands, just as heavy as Wlad’s, but his footwork, his speed, his athleticism is far superior to Wladimir’s.
We have never seen Klitschko fight on the inside. If anyone gets within his comfort zone, Klitschko will just hold onto them, and most seem to welcome the break they receive. Haye will not as he wants to be coming over the top, or stepping to the side and working the body.
Haye genuinely bring skills to the table that Klitschko has not dealt with before.
By the same token, Haye has never faced a true heavyweight champion in his prime. Haye’s heavyweight resume reads Tomasz Bonin, Monte Barrett, Nikolay Valuev, John Ruiz and Audley Harrison. That’s it.
Valuev was never going to catch Haye with the tactics employed, and to be fair, he was never a live opponent, just was a big guy who got a few decisions, and I would struggle to call him a good fighter. Bonin was past it, Ruiz was well past it, Barrett was and always has been there to be beat, he is a gatekeeper, and Harrison…well the less said about him, the better.
So this will be Haye’s first real test against a true heavyweight. He never really got caught in his other heavyweight fights, but if his chin was questionable at cruiserweight, you can assume it will be shaky at heavyweight.
Both fighters say they are going to knock the other out, and whichever way you look at it, I cannot see it going to points. It will end with a knockout or a stoppage.
Haye should look to move and box his way inside before opening up, and trying to take Klitschko’s head off. Speed, agility and counterpunching; these are the strengths to which Haye must play.
This is assuming Klitschko comes out and fights as he has always done. I believe he will have trained harder for this defence than any other, and lets not forget that its at home for him, and Haye went for him personally, so there is a grudge there. Klitschko genuinely wants to punish Haye.
The first time Klitschko connects, body or head, jab or cross, Haye will feel it, and it will slow him down. But Haye, for me, has that little bit more, when he needs to go balls to the wall and dig in, he can and will.
Both will be shaken at some point in this fight, but what it boils down to is adaptability, and who has the extra gears in capability and for me that is David Haye.
This should be a great fight and will be great for the sport of boxing.
