And not because I believe his hype. The biggest factor in my belief is the current crop of heavyweights have been just dire for some time. Who else is there in that division that actually excites people? I'm not naive enough to think Haye would jump right in there and beat Wladimier but I think a couple of fights and his brash entertaining approach on camera will secure the fight for him. He's not hanging around more than a couple of years so he's got a plan to short circuit the top 10 - take out the top guy. I remain very impressed with the way Haye played fans and the press before his cruiserweight showdown with Enzo. I'm sure there will be the usual sages pointing out that they weren't fooled and knew all along etc, but come on who can actually remember someone saying that BEFORE the fight. Everyone believed Haye was struggling with the weight and that he was going back on his decision to move up (at least temporarily). Then after the fight he says it was all a load of rubbish and that he fooled everyone. That takes some doing IMO and shows the level of determination Haye has IMO. I know Haye is a puncher who can be knocked out but that's just another reason for people to pay to see him at the gate of on PPV. Discuss
agreed...i think haye kicks the asses of the smaller guys for sure...chagev, ibragimov, maskaev ( if he ever resurfaces) the bigger guys could give him trouble, but i would take haye over valeuv but i think wlad is definitively his biggest prob...both have suspect chins, which makes a good fight...
David Haye struggled to make weight, don't believe that crap Adam Booth said at the pre fight conference. I think he'll do well in the Heavyweight division, Klitschko is going to be a very hard fight for him though stylistically but he seems to want it bad. Will be interesting to see once he's beaten 1 or 2 ranked Heavies.
i think he can make a good roll on the HW's but i think klitshcko will be able to beat him i think too big for him
I think Haye is a huge boost to the lackluster HW division. Finally some new blood that is active and has KO power. If Haye can bring his slick movements, he'll be able to dance around everyone.
Haye is certainly a boost, how he perfoms against top competion in the weight class is yet to be seen.
I'd love to see him vs. Peter. Let's see his chin tested against a big puncher. If he can pull off the win there then he will be legit.
i consider myself a fan of haye, but i think it comes down to expectations.. yep i think he'll win a version of the world HW title however a legend he 'll never be.. his chin is not good enough
Just felt like reviving this thread temporarily after watching the match at the weekend. Make no mistake Wlad & Vitali are huge compared to Haye, but Haye's fights are always interesting.
The brother are too big. Below that he entertains. He isnt going all the way but he is a welcome addition to that morge of a division.
The current crop of heavyweights would have destroyed any of the so called great. I don't buy the heavyweight division is weak argument. The American intake is smaller but there haven't been the kind of heavyweight like the Klitschko's or other Eastern European boxers in the past (that got the chance to fight for championships).
I disagree. Haye has done a great job of being exciting and talking a big game, but hes not the savior in the HW division that everyone has been waiting for, in fact hes not even close. Sorry but the guy has issues with his chin and stamina, hasnt proven to be a huge puncher at HW and has flawed boxing skills. Wlad will decapitate him when they fight, take that to the bank.
Haye is a bit small compared to other HWs but he looked like he had good HW knockout power. His chin isn't that great either as shown in the Thompson fight a few years ago but he has a good chance of beating any of the HWs out there at the moment.
I think he can beat a bumber of the heavys, but I think he'll lose to peter,toney, vitali, and wlady. He could potentially beat toney and wlad, but I think peter and vitali both knock him out.
Haye had better hope to win by decision. Knocking out Monte Barrett is one thing. Knocking out the Klitschkos is something else entirely. Haye is probably a top 10 HW right now. Such is the sad state of the division where anyone over 200 pounds with some real boxing ability can probably win a belt. But that doesn't mean he can go right in and beat Vlad or Vitali. I think Haye MIGHT be able to beat Peter, but he'd have to make sure he doesn't get caught. A good shot from Peter would put Haye out cold. I also don't think he could beat Valuev right now. Size overcomes ability in the fight game at some point.
He'd beat Oleg for sure, and Rahman and Toney too. I think he'd have more trouble with Chagaev and Ibragimov than you think. Both are lightning quick with excellent amateur pedigrees and sharp defences; Chagaev especially would frustrate and wear down Haye. I'm kinda 50/50 on Valuev. The guy may be slow but he's built like a caveman and has the punch of one too. Haye would actually have to outbox him, can he do that?
