Haye picks Enzo in boxing battle of cruiserweight rivals

ByBoxing Press

European cruiserweight king David Haye who is currently in training in Miami in preparation for his defence against Lasse Johansen at the York Hall, Bethnal Green on the March 24th will be watching intently this weekend as two of his domestic 200 lb rivals, Enzo Maccarinelli and Mark Hobson, do battle in Manchester.

Despite being in Miami Beach and without a television, Haye will make a concerted effort to locate one in order to view two of his most heated foes do battle.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” Haye said whilst in Doral, Miami preparing for his pending EBU title defence against Lasse Johansen.

“It’s an intriguing domestic fight between two tall guys who like to scrap, and are both fairly easy to tag. That always spells fireworks.

”I have no doubt Maccarinelli-Hobson will be more entertaining, from a fan’s point of view, than the original fight between Johnny Nelson and Maccarinelli would have been.”

The 25-year-old Haye was, of course, scheduled to face Hobson twice in 2005, only for both dates to fall through. Having not boxed since December 2004 – when outpointing Bruce Scott over 12 rounds – Hobson may be at a significant disadvantage when he meets Welshman Maccarinelli. Haye feels this factor could prove crucial.

“Hobson’s taken the fight at three or four week’s notice, and was previously getting ready for a fight with Tony Booth or Buster Keeton. That’s a major mental and physical hurdle for him to overcome. He wasn’t anticipating a fight like this coming along.

“Maccarinelli, on the other hand, was preparing for the biggest test of his life. A fight many people felt he would lose. I’d imagine he would be in a lot better shape than Hobson when they meet – mentally and physically.

“Throw into the equation the fact that Hobson has been really inactive recently, and you begin to see that he’s really up against it.”

Ultimately, Haye feels Enzo will prevail – and is more than happy to entertain the new champion should he wish to pursue “The Hayemaker’.

“You have to back Maccarinelli to win really. I think he’s the better all round fighter, and has the better mindset going into this fight. It’s all set up for him to win and look good doing so.

“I’d love to box the winner of Maccarinelli-Hobson at some point. They are meeting in a strictly British-level fight, but, if the winner can get towards European and World class, we could meet somewhere down the line.

“I’m more than ready for it.”

First Haye must extinguish the challenge of Johansen at the York Hall, Bethnal Green on the 24th, when he tops a bumper Maloney Promotions fight card. The 15-1 (15) Bermondsey banger meets the unbeaten Dane and hopes another resounding European Championship win will keep him ahead of his domestic rivals.

For tickets to “The Hayemaker Hits London’, call the Box Office on 0871 226 1508, or alternatively, log on to www.maloneypromotions.com to order online.