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Respect was the name of the game this afternoon as heavyweight contenders David ‘The Hayemaker’ Haye and Manuel ‘Diamond Boy’ Charr met at a Manchester press conference ahead of their bout on Saturday, June 29, live on Sky Sports.
Though known for their outspoken antics, Haye and Charr left the trash-talk at home, instead choosing to emphasise the importance of their summer encounter and expressing a desire to land a shot at the world heavyweight championship.
Speaking first, the 28-year-old Charr said: “I have heart, I am smart and I can fight. I respect David Haye, and I will give my best in this fight because I respect him. He is a great fighter and very intelligent. I thank him for giving me this chance. He is the best heavyweight in the world – not the Klitschkos – and I want to fight the best.
“I will beat him and then I will get a rematch with Vitali Klitschko. That is why I am here. This is not a fight, it is a war.”
Whether a fight or indeed a war, next month Londoner Haye, 32, will make his first ring appearance since knocking out Dereck Chisora in five explosive rounds last July. And with a world title shot again in his sights, David Haye believes a win over the world-ranked Manuel Charr will move him a step closer to a mandatory position.
“Charr’s been making a lot of noise. He’s been tweeting and e-mailing me and saying this is a fight he wants,” said Haye. “The Klitschkos don’t want to fight either of us at this moment in time, so I’m going to work my way into a mandatory position by beating Charr.
“When selecting an opponent – we looked at the world rankings and realised there were a lot of fighters out there who were either completely unknown or had padded records. Manuel is different, though. He has fought Vitali Klitschko already, but lost only on a cut. He hasn’t been properly beaten yet and is effectively unbeaten.
“I know his story, I know where he comes from and I know he won’t just fall over from the first shot I land on him. Charr’s not the most skilful fighter I’ve ever fought, but he’s definitely one of the strongest. And he’s coming to win. A lot of heavyweights are just in it for the payday, but he’s not like that. He just wants to get in the ring and fight – and that deserves respect.
“I’m going to have to train as hard as I’ve ever trained for this fight because anything but perfect preparation and I could have a hard night’s work. I guarantee this will be a toe-to-toe blast-out.”
