Is David Haye the savior of the heavyweight division?

[DaxxKahn]

Wel yeh he is open but he's cleaned up at cruiser and he carried his left hand low the entire time.

Don't go telling me that the heavies are better skilled to take advantage of that.

Maybe Wlad but then you could easily argue 'what would happen to wlad when haye catches him'

The power he carries at CW does not mean it is the same power as a HW....Guys who are used to getting hit by..big 250lb punchers and getting hit by a guy who is strong at 195 is different...and anyone who does not think so needs to learn a bit more...

[noskill]

Wel yeh he is open but he's cleaned up at cruiser and he carried his left hand low the entire time.

Don't go telling me that the heavies are better skilled to take advantage of that.

Maybe Wlad but then you could easily argue 'what would happen to wlad when haye catches him'

The rest of that sentence should have been highlighted as well to finish my point. A dropped hand with more powerful guys usually spells disaster. There are plenty of fast HW's with good accuracy,although Haye can be hit with wild punches or just short ones.
I just want to see Haye work through some lesser fighter before getting a free ride in front of other contenders. These guys only fight once a year as it is,lol and I want some of the current guys to be established at wherever they belong,bottom or top so it clears out some. Adding a guy in and giving a free"front of the line" pass(we know he'd get one)will just delay putting all the crap talent where they belong. If he is better,let him work his way thru them,then call him a savior.

[Fenster]

The power he carries at CW does not mean it is the same power as a HW....Guys who are used to getting hit by..big 250lb punchers and getting hit by a guy who is strong at 195 is different...and anyone who does not think so needs to learn a bit more...

For what it's worth Danny Williams (sparring) says only Tyson and Vitali have hit him harder than Haye

[Shamrock]

I think Haye will add interest to the heavweight division but ulimatley his chin will prevent him from being a true force.

To be truly 'saved' the heavweight division needs more than one iconic exceptional fighter. It needs a bunch of very good similaraly matched fighters. Ali would not have been Ali without a a' big Ugly Bear' to beat at 21 or the trilogy with Frazier and the remarkable fight against the thought of unbeatable Foreman. It's the same at the lighter weights - Ray Leonard, Duran, Hearns and Hagler became great because of the fights they had against each other and other quality opposition. Gatti-Ward - Barrera-Morrales you get the picture... To be a great fighter you have to be in great fights against great fighters.

I for one do not want to see an exceptional heavweight come along only to face poor opposition. We need strength in depth and only then in my eyes will we see a true resurgence in the heavweight division.

[El Gamo]

Haye at HW:if he carries his power,that's alot of guys done already. HOWEVER,his chin will get tested as will his stamina.It's 50-50.can't wait to see him v a top contender!If his chin is better due to not cutting weight( a la Cotto),,this guy could be deadly,and I'm not even a Haye fan!

[Master]

Hay is the future of the heavyweight division. He is young enough and good enough to be the saviour.

[Drago]

When James Toney moved to Heavy i was preying he would clean up, just because he is such a character. On Inside Sport on the bbc monday night, Holyfields advice was for Haye not to just bulk up for the sake of it. but after listening to Haye after the fight it seems he is going to have alot of time off before his next fight (probably to mass up). we all know bodybuilders aint the best boxers in the world, does he mean he is going to let his body reach its natural weight? does anyone know why he is taking a long break?

[SweetPea]

I don't think Haye is the savior of the division, but I do think he's going to spice up the division and be a welcome addition to the weight class. Not only does he have an exciting style, but he also has an entertaining personality and he's not afraid to trash talk.

The key for Haye is to take his time moving up the division. He's only 27, no need to rush into a big fight too soon. He should take several fights to adjust to the bigger opponents and work his way up the ladder.

One good thing for him is that there are several fighters out there (Chagaev, Chambers, Povetkin, Ibragimov) that are only in the 215-220 pound range. Haye can test himself against guys of that size before thinks about challenging one of the big heavyweights.

[leftylee]

He is no HW division saviour...Haye has a lot of flaws in his style...Flaws that if he brought with him to the HW division he gets sparked...The biggest being the way he holds down his left hand.....Haye does not impress me....Sorry gents but you are all just so desperate for a HW you are willing to take anyone with a pulse

I can't wait till Haye proves you wrong and knocks out your boy Klitchs "Scared to go for the" ko.

[Althugz]

He is no HW division saviour...Haye has a lot of flaws in his style...Flaws that if he brought with him to the HW division he gets sparked...The biggest being the way he holds down his left hand.....Haye does not impress me....Sorry gents but you are all just so desperate for a HW you are willing to take anyone with a pulse

Agree with that...these are the kind of words I am talking about when people are describing Haye. Things like 'Saviour' etc are wayyy off the mark. He's an unknown entity when he is moving up to the heavyweight division. Its exciting thinking about him going there and the whole reason it's exciting is because of his flaws!
There are questions that need answering about his chin, defense, reflexes etc. that are going to be tested in a whole different way in the heavyweight division.
Would any of you bet your house that he is going to clean up at that division? If the answer is no then you certainly can't call him a saviour. If you mean he is going to create some excitement in a boring heavyweight division because you don't know how his fight's are gonna go, then maybe then you can call him a 'saviour'.

[Althugz]

I don't think Haye is the savior of the division, but I do think he's going to spice up the division and be a welcome addition to the weight class. Not only does he have an exciting style, but he also has an entertaining personality and he's not afraid to trash talk.

The key for Haye is to take his time moving up the division. He's only 27, no need to rush into a big fight too soon. He should take several fights to adjust to the bigger opponents and work his way up the ladder.

One good thing for him is that there are several fighters out there (Chagaev, Chambers, Povetkin, Ibragimov) that are only in the 215-220 pound range. Haye can test himself against guys of that size before thinks about challenging one of the big heavyweights.

Couldn't have said it better..Sending some rep

[Althugz]

I can't wait till Haye proves you wrong and knocks out your boy Klitchs "Scared to go for the" ko.

Where did he even mention Klitchsko's name in this thread? You didn't even argue against his point? Do you ever post anything constructive because i've yet to see it..?

[Deanrw]

When James Toney moved to Heavy i was preying he would clean up, just because he is such a character. On Inside Sport on the bbc monday night, Holyfields advice was for Haye not to just bulk up for the sake of it. but after listening to Haye after the fight it seems he is going to have alot of time off before his next fight (probably to mass up). we all know bodybuilders aint the best boxers in the world, does he mean he is going to let his body reach its natural weight? does anyone know why he is taking a long break?

That is my concern also. If he bulked up to 230, it would slow him down. 215 would be perfect for him. He is a natural big puncher and does not need the extra baggage.

[Master]

Buncy said that Haye was going to take 6 months off (sabbatical) and then go for the heavyweight titles. To break up the British merry go round of fighters would be a good start.

[Majesty]

Is it true that Mormeck decked Haye in their match?

Looking at his record he's been stopped before and has suspect stamina and suspect chin but undeniable power(same critisism's of Wladimer Klit).

If he goes to heavyweight though I don't think he'll save anything, he may win a belt, but it will all end when he fights Klit. Im not a Klit fan but im not denying that Wladimer would outbox him in a boring fight or stop him late of a boring fight where they do not engage. Haye does good against fighters who would stand in front and want to trade, Wladimer would jab jab jab and stay away and I don't think if he lands solid that Haye could take it. Personally I think an on his game James Toney could beat Haye.


But as far as Haye's first heavyweight fight..i want it to be against John Ruiz