David Haye: Targeting Klitschkos in 2011
By Donald Stewart (This article was written prior to Wladimir Klitschko pulling out of the fight due to an injury.)
“Derek Chisora is a better boxer than David Haye,” or so says Wladimir Klitschko 55-3, 49 KO’s. So what do the rest of us say?
David Haye 25-1, 23 KO’s, in his desire to put a legacy to his name wishes to unite the Heavyweight World behind one champion, as he did the Cruiserweight Division. David believes that one champion should, of course, be himself…
The world of heavyweight boxing has allegedly suffered because there is a lack of genuine heavyweight contenders. The field has been full of has-beens and never-would-have-beens. That may be the view from the good old US of A but there are many in Europe who feel both Klitschko brothers have just been a league above whatever has come along. Many in Euro land think that the USA don’t like champions that are not wrapped in the Star Spangled Banner!
Such criticism may be true in terms of the appeal that fighters have – if they cannot pull in the US they don’t make big bucks. The Klitschkos have done OK though. They won’t be retiring with all their money having been taken by hangers on or unscrupulous managers. At least we don’t think they will.
Over in Euro land, however, the Klitschko brothers have managed to corner the market in stirring up apathy. The fact is that most of us in the UK don’t tune in to a heavyweight fight any more unless it involves … farce! Haye versus Harrison was the closest we have got to a genuine Heavyweight fight for years and that was years away from being a genuine fight.
David Haye has changed the way we look at Heavyweights. His winning the WBA Heavyweight belt against Nikolay Valuev changed things for heavyweight fans in the UK.
We had been starved if genuine ability as people like Julius Francis and Danny Williams did their best to raise our expectations but came far short of us having a genuine contender.
David Haye is a genuine contender. When he moved from Cruiserweight to Heavyweight he lit up the European Heavyweight scene. He avoided potentially embarrassing clashes and comparisons with other potential heavyweight contenders and set about making a name for himself as a Cruiserweight.
Haye has now graduated to another weight with honors. People forget what he did in as a cruiserweight. He beat Ring Magazine’s number one for three belts – WBA, IBF and WBC as well as the Ring Belts. The WBO belt came after when he fought in an all British affair against Enzo Maccarinelli, which was billed as one of the biggest British fights for years…heard that one before, David.
Finding it increasingly difficult to make the weight and fight at 100% of his capacity Haye made the step up. That graduation brought some hope in the UK that we would have a genuine heavyweight fighter able to compete with the best.
Let’s be honest, despite his vow to carry on anyone who thinks Audley Harrison will be a genuine contender in the next few years is in serious need of medical attention!
Haye was a Silver Medal winner at the World Amateur Championships in 2001 at Heavyweight. He brings into his heavyweight fights quick feet, fast hands and a durability that has seen him get knocked down and get back up again. He has the opportunity to unite the crowns if Derek Chisora 14-0, 9 KO’s, fails to beat one of the Klitschkos.
It would ruin Haye’s plans if Chisora were to pull of a shocking win.
Haye is a man of his word.
He promised to annihilate Harrison – he did. He promised to unite the Cruiserweight belts – he did. He has promised to retire before he is 31. That is in October 2011. To unite the belts he MUST beat both Klitschkos. The negotiations with Vitali Klitschko 41-2, 38 KO’s, have begun.
If he can get that out of the way by early 2011 it would leave a career defining final fight for all of the belts against the winner of Wladimir versus Chisora. Haye has a huge desire for both brothers to be part of his legacy. He believes that without fighting and defeating both he shall not have the legacy he wants.
My mother used to say “want, want never gets.” I have a funny feeling that the two fights Haye wants will happen in some form. He will fight one of the Klitschkos next year and we will be talking about him by the end of 2011. What we shall be saying will depend on what the negotiations end up looking like.
Haye’s manager on Sky Sports started some of the negotiations live on air with the Klitschkos and his approach was not only simple but clear. It’s not the same from the Klitschko camp. There is some bizarre German TV deal they are protecting and it makes the whole negotiation muddy. These fights are needed for credibility and either legacy dictates they MUST happen.
The Klitschkos have managed to keep people at bay have, for many, denied the public the chance of seeing what they want to see. We want to see a genuine fight between two opponents matched and with enough ability to make bookmakers scratch their heads when asked who the favourite should be.
Chisora versus Wladimir isn’t that match; Wladimir versus Samuel Peter wasn’t that match; Vitali v Shannon Briggs wasn’t that match; Haye versus Klitschko is – whichever one steps into the ring.
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