By Scott Gilfoid: According to Dan Rafael from ESPN, the manager Adam Booth and his promoter for heavyweight contender David Haye (21-1, 20 KOs) are speaking with heavyweight contenders Eddie Chambers and Monte Barrett as potential opponents for Haye’s next fight on November 15th at the O2 arena in London. Haye, 27, recently was close to signing on 6′5″ American J.D. Chapman for the fight, but he backed out. Booth will have the final say so over who gets the pick - Barrett or Chambers - but both are fine fighters and Haye couldn’t go wrong by choosing either of them.
Chambers, 26, is ranked a little higher than Barrett at #8 in the IBF, and has excellent boxing skills and good power to go along with it. He’s probably the more dangerous of the two, although the 37 year-old Barrett just recently showed that he has respectable power of his own with a 1st round TKO over 6′9″ Tye Fields in June. Barrett, 37, is ranked #9 in the WBO, and has much more experience against top level opposition than Chambers. However, Barrett has also lost three out of his last six fights, albeit against mostly good competition in Nikolay Valuev, Hasim Rahman and Cliff Couser.
Chambers is maybe a little too good for a fighter like Haye, who has no real experience against quality heavyweights like either Barrett or Chambers. In a lot of ways, Chambers is like a faster, younger, more powerful version of former two-time heavyweight champion Chris Byrd. This is why I seriously doubt that Haye’s trainer would want to risk putting him in with a young heavyweight with some much talent and life left in him. After all, Chambers recent gave Alexander Povetkin all he could handle in the IBF tournament to determine who the mandatory for IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko would be.
Chambers fought well in the first half of the fight but seemed to tire in the second half, allowing Povetkin to take over the fight. If not for that, who knows? Chambers might very well be the one facing IBF champion Klitschko rather than Povetkin. If Haye is intent on gaining the respect of the boxing public, he could do no wrong by selecting Chambers, because he’s well thought of and has enough name recognition to bring excitement to a heavyweight bout with Haye.
In the case of Barrett, it would be a little less so given his age and his three losses in his last six fights. Still, even if Barrett winds up the choice, he’s a much better opponent than Chapman as far as I’m concerned. He’s been there, fought the best and held up well despite losing more often than not against quality fighters. Both Chambers and Barrett have good chins, so Haye better have a plan B just in case he’s unable to knock them out early.
September 19th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Chambers could be good…but he is fat and that is why he tires, just like 95% of the heavies nowdays sadly. Haye WOULD destroy him with ease. What has Chambers got that Haye ain’t? apart from a beer belly.
September 20th, 2008 at 12:13 am
haye’s in for a big big big shock when he hit by a heavyweight or hits a heavyweight and sees they dont go down like his cruiserweight opponents. i think haye doing this campaign is a waste of everyone’s time.
September 20th, 2008 at 5:14 am
September 20th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Apparently O’Neil Bell is moving up to heavyweight, this would be a good fight if it could be agreed to by Hayemaker and Warrior Boxing, both are heavy handed exciting offensive minded fighter with defensive vulnerabilities who need to prove a point to the detractors and so-called experts who sit in recliner chairs and drink beers and like to say that the majority of fighters are sissys. Haye seems to be more of a businessman these days looking to cash in on the enormous amount of money paid to the heavyweight champs, God Bless him and good luck David.
September 20th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Apparently O’Neil Bell is moving to heavyweight, a fight between Haye and Bell would be quite entertaining as both seem to be heavy handed, offensive minded fighters with vulnerabilities and points to prove in the heavyweight division after good careers as cruisers. Haye looks to be more of a businessman than a fighter who is in the game for a short time to make as much money as he can and not really compete in many knock ‘em down drag ‘em out brawls.
September 20th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
WHHHOOOOAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! KEVIN JOHNSON, AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!…not exactly…he is a fat slob who can only throw a jab…NOTHING ELSE, this the actually the easiest fight for Haye, Johnson is terrible.
September 20th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
jake - Haye has already KO’d a heavyweight.