A Force Annihilated: Heavyweight Champ David Haye Looks Ahead to the Klitschkos
By Damien Norman
David Haye successfully defended his WBA World Heavyweight Title against an abysmal Audley Harrison.
Harrison, who “guaranteed” a new Champion only lasted 3 rounds landing just one single jab in the whole fight.
Many were hoping that Haye would finally be tested by the bigger man who came into the fight 3 stones heavier than the champ, but the reality was the “ordinary” Audley Harrison that we have come to expect turned up with his usual “reluctant to throw” style, looking in truth scared stiff.
For many years Harrison has been the laughing stock of many pubs up and down the country with his claims that he will one day become the Heavyweight Champion. When this fight was announced it was hard not to respect him but even harder not to get sucked into the belief that this night could just be his destiny.
Harrison appeared to mean business and in the live weigh in during an interview claimed “the talking was over” and walked off, which actually impressed onlookers who felt Harrison was finally ready to step up to the big occasion.
There was talk of “Hayemaker Promotions” providing team Harrison with 2 pairs of gloves that were both illegal in an attempt to play mind games but if anybody tries to find excuses for such an awful performance, then I think they are as deluded as Harrison!
So to the fight…
The first round actually provided… well, nothing! There was hardly a single punch thrown and both boxers returned to their corners to an array of booing. I, like many was thinking that Harrison was adopting a good plan; waiting for Haye to try something and counter attack, and… although Haye didn’t try anything and… Harrison didn’t counter attack… the way the pair was waltzing around the ring made it seem like Harrison had it all mapped out.
The second round started identical to the first with the fighters stalking each other around the ring. Referee Luis Pagon was clearly not impressed by either of their efforts and stopped the action to tell both men to start throwing some shots. Haye began catching Harrison with some jabs and on a couple of occasions lunged in and threw small flurries of shots and Harrison, who looked stiff and appeared to have no real spring or athleticism in his legs was looking increasingly nervous and almost unable to get close or throw anything telling back. If you were scoring this round it would have clearly gone to Haye.
The third and final round was the curtain call for Audley “A force” Harrison. With Harrison doing the usual and standing with a high guard Haye finally threw some huge shots, and at 1:30 Harrison was floored by a number of massive punches from Haye. Harrison stumbled to his feet and was given his gum shield back (that he had ejected whilst picking himself up from the canvas) but Haye pretty much sprinted back over to Harrison and sealed the deal with a number of big shots forcing the referee to step in and end the fight.
There have been question marks over the stoppage and whether or not it was premature and I have to say that yes, it probably was “slightly” premature when you take into account that it was a Heavyweight World Title fight but Harrison looked completely ghosted and I believe that the referee only spared Harrison of further punishment and embarrassment.
So there you have it, David Haye successfully defends his WBA Title and heads back to Cyprus with a staggering £5 million pounds.
I have tried to come up with something respectable to say in relation to Harrison’s performance but this has proven a real struggle.
Both parties talked a good game and it was looking like Harrison actually won that particular battle. He said all of the right things and managed to convince everybody remotely interested in the fight that it would be an excellent night of Boxing. When you are watching a Boxer that stands at just under 6’6 with an 86 inch reach and by the way a southpaw stance, the last thing you expect from him is to not throw a jab! I totally understand his initial approach to the fight and as I said above I was suckered into believing he actually adopted a reputable game plan but unfortunately for Audley he has to wake up from this dream and realize that it never was his destiny to do this and will never, ever become a Heavyweight Champion of the World. He has to retire now and perhaps stick to the poker that he been near obsessed with.
In my opinion it’s not just that he was never destined to be a Heavyweight World Champion, I strongly believe he was never destined to be a Professional Boxer full stop. He has tried to box like an amateur in a Professional ring and as most reading this will know and agree you simple cannot do that as a Pro Boxer… so Audley, cash your large pay check, take some time away from reality (something you have been doing for a number of years now anyway so this shouldn’t be a problem) and officially announce your retirement.
I wrote an article on David Haye a few weeks back stating this fight would be a no win situation for him and I still maintain this. Although I anticipated a much, much harder night for him, apart from increasing his bank balance tenfold he has achieved nothing. He is still completely untested as a Heavyweight and has taken the easy route all the way along at this weight, and until a showdown with one of the Klitschko’s is finally announced this will remain the case. Ok, the feud between the two has been settled but in reality it was never as bad as it was made out.
I couldn’t wait for this fight and I like many have been left bitterly disappointed. I feel very sorry for anybody that paid to go and witness this live but I guess this isn’t the first time a big fight has gone this way.
Let’s hope that Derek Chisora can prove to the World that UK Heavyweight Boxing is not completely dead when he takes on Wladimir Klitschko next month.