Where Does Haye Go If He Loses to Valuev?
July 30th, 2009
By Chris Williams: David Haye (22-1, 21 KO’s) has got to be the most confident – read: cocky – fighter I’ve seen in the heavyweight division since Muhammed Ali fought. Haye is so confident that it borders on a fighter with delusions of grandeur. He really believes he’s the guy in the heavyweight division or at least he gives the impression that he is. My question is what does Haye do if things don’t turn out to be like he thinks they are and he ends up getting knocked out by the huge Russian giant? What does Haye do with his career? Getting beaten by Valuev would be almost certainly the end for Haye as a marketable heavyweight fighter.
However, Valuev is much weaker than he was back then and he’s showed problems with his stamina in fights against Ruiz, Ruslan Chagaev and Evander Holyfield. Getting beaten by a fighter like Valuev, would pretty much signal to the boxing world that Haye doesn’t have what it takes to be a major player in the heavyweight division.
And the thing is that could actually happen. Valuev might succeed in taking Haye deep in the fight, wear him down with mauling, and then take Haye out with a few clubbing shots in the 11th and 12th rounds. Goodness knows, Haye’s chin didn’t look exactly sturdy in his fight with Monte Barrett as Haye was dropped by a left hand from Barrett.
While Haye was down, Barrett added a nice left hand that had Haye badly hurt. Haye caught up and needed to sit back down again because he was so badly hurt. Neither of Barrett’s left hands were big shots, yet they did major damage against Haye, who looked as if he was hit by club.
That was the fear about Haye when he got the idea to move up to the heavyweight division. Boxing experts remembered how Haye had been hurt and beaten by a 40-year-old Carl Thompson in a 5th round TKO loss in 2004 and had been knocked down by super middleweight Lolenga Mock in 2003.
In 2007, Haye was dropped by Jean Marc Mormeck in the 4th round of their bout. With the exception of the Thompson fight, Haye was able to come back and win both the fights against Mormeck and Mock. But, it wasn’t a good thing that Haye was getting knocked down by small cruiserweights and super middleweights.
Valuev may not be a big puncher and may have lost a little speed and strength, but he probably can club hard enough to cause Haye problems if he can get him into the later rounds of the fight. This isn’t going to be just a walk in the park for Haye.
I don’t imagine that Valuev will be quick enough to land any of his slow shots in the early part of the fight, but as the fight goes deep and Haye begins to get a little tired and overconfident, I think Valuev will have his chance to club Haye into submission.
Valuev probably hits as hard if not harder than Barrett does and has a much better chin than Barrett. I think Haye would have been knocked out by Barrett had the fight gone into the later rounds. And that is where I think Valuev stands a good chance of beating Haye.
At 7’2” 325 pounds, Valuev will have an 11 inch height and over 100 pound weight advantage over Haye. I don’t care who they find to spar with Haye, none of them will be nearly as big as Valuev and won’t be able to prepare Haye for the fight.
Tags: 27 Responses to “Where Does Haye Go If He Loses to Valuev?”
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by the way toni, valuev cant read or speak english—nice try though..
wake up toni. chris’ management said their contract for the upcoming fight with vitali was great and they laid the blame for any prior problems at haye’s feet. no one, hear that, nobody, has ever complained of a contract with either brother and now, out of the blue, haye gets a ‘slave contract?”. the same haye who hurt his hand, then his back, then needed 2 wks, then 4 weeks, then 6 wks to heal. the same guy who has never given a dr’s evidence of his injury—that’s a first in a big fight. the same david haye who has never fought a real contender at heavyweight. but then its the same david haye, who rose on the 3rd day to save boxing. at least take you head out of haye’s ass and put it in your own.
he didnt duck
he was injured
then the contract vitali gave was awful… even valueve read it and said it was ridiculous
these are the FACTS…no-one ducked no-one…
red is talking smack, ali trash talked, haye trash talks. Ali fought for his 1st world title after 20 fights at HW at which point he fought Liston, Haye is fighting for a title after 3 fights at HW, and give the boy 20 fights before he fights Wlad or Vitali.
My point is, all you Haye haters expect Haye to do things quickly, he doesn’t have to. Seriously boys don’t worry, I beleieve Haye will fight one of the Klitschko’s within his next 3 fights.
Whether Hayes deserves a title shot this early is not the issue, as boxing is rarely ever fair and it’s a business and who you know.
I think he wants to fight Wlad first, then Vitali. If that’s what he wants to do, let him do it. The Klitschko’s are good, lets see if he can make it past the easier Klitschko brother, will be interesting.
mikey boy, so you shake up boxing by avoiding the ring. how would you shake up football then, by playing golf? maybe haye could make tee-shirts with mutilated cricket players on them and shake up that sport as well….
what the haye fans dont like to admit is that he is talking smack and not backing it up. haye has avoided real fights…ali didnt do that. and yes, in retrospect, ali was an ass much of the time. ali would have had enough believe in himself to have gotten in the ring….if haye really thought he would win where was the risk? the next fight would make him rich. lewis was just quoted in ring magazine as saying that ‘if haye gets in the ring with either of the bros it will be a recipee for disaster’. lewis has trained with him—he knows. as does haye. haye wants to do what brewster did, hold a title for a couple of years and never fight a top 10 contender…..while all of england kisses his ass.
I’ve got 3 points, correct me if you disagree.
1) I agree with Tom Pace, if Haye loses he should retire or… go back to cruiserweight because Valuev has no boxing skill or power.
2) I agree with Lion, and disagree with Chris Williams, Chris must be a lunatic if he thinks Barrett would of beat Haye if it went into the later rounds, did you watch the fight? and Haye slipped, he didn’t get knocked down.
3) But i do disagree with Mike Boden, Haye has been a breath of fresh air for British boxing and if you hate on Haye for talking, then hate on Ali, and I bet you don’t hate Muhammad Ali who was the worst for taunting. I’ve got nothing against trash talking as long as things get settled in the ring.
Touche! As a Haye fan, I find the picture very funny. But then I have a sense of humour, unlike those over-sensitive Klitschkos and their hysterical fans.
But onto business – yes Chris is right for once, if Haye can’t beat Valuev then it’s unlikely he can beat a Klitschko and he will have some difficult choices to make.
That said, a defeat in the heavyweight division isn’t as disastrous as it is in other divisions. Look at Wlad himself – he has come back from some very bad defeats to poor opposition.
Haye losing to Valuev isn’t the end of the world – sure he will look very foolish after all the talk, but a lot will depend on the manner of the defeat. He could well get robbed if the fight goes to the cards (This is Valuev/Don King/Germany after all)
He could come back, but it would have to be plan B – i.e. knock out a string of top 10 contenders if he’s to be taken seriously again.
That said, if he manages to KO the giant in spectacular highlight-reel fashion (which it will be if the big man falls), then nobody will question if he’s big enough any more and he will no longer look like a cruiserweight stepping up. If he KOs Valuev, he will have more than proven his credentials as a heavyweight and he will be the man everyone wants to see take on the Klits.
For all David Haye’s talk, he is at least prepared to back it up in the ring. OK, so the Klitschkos didn’t work out, but I genuinely believe Haye was a victim of circumstance and not the coward some are saying he is.
But time will tell. He is making a rod for his own back by fighting Valuev – if he wins and takes the title, then there can be nowhere to hide.
i dont think haye is afraid of vlad, but every report and video ive seen tells me he is scared to death of vitali….he is killing time, waiting for vitali to get older, slower….
funny picture, what goes around comes around… very funny….
Any article with such a photo on it doesn´t even deserve to be read. Shame on you Chris Williams.
What a suprise, Chris Williams opens another article about David Haye and gets half of his facts wrong again… Wow son, you’re gonna make the big time!
What is with your obsessive hate towards David Haye? If he was American would you still question his undeniable boxing talent?
He’s shaking up the HW division, a stagnant horrid and boring division. Full of oversized, read: FAT – Americans, Russians with arms longer than cars and those Ukranian sisters who refuse to fight each other.
The fact is, the HW division NEEDS David Haye more than this website needs your frightengly obsessive articles about him…
Please Chris, get help, LEARN about boxing and respect the fighters who are attempting to make the sport more exciting. If it wasn’t for boxers like Haye trying their best to shake it up, we’d all be watching grown men make love to each other in an octagon.
I hope Haye can win this!
Valuev has been wobbled before (he was against Monte Barret, he had his legs buckled).
Still cant write off valuev though hes a beast! and may not have looked good in recent fights but Haye’s chin and the fight taking place in Germany arnt good. But Haye should be able to do him on points or late KO
I think Haye will win on points but I hope to god he doesn’t. He hasn’t done any favours for boxing in The U.K by showing that he has a loud mouth that can talk himself into title shots only to then back down and make himself look like a scared hypocrite.
Obviously Haye shouldn’t retire as someone else commented if he loses. He will in no shape or form deserve to stay at heavyweight but if he does then he can definately not expect a shot at either Klitschko without earning it. Personally I think he should have stayed at cruiserweight.
Haye wasn’t knocked down against Barrett though as this writer says.
So what if a former cruiserweight can’t beat a 7 foot two giant heavyweight champ. Haye getting KO’d by the biggest heavyweight champ ever is no way near as damaging as losing to Ola what’s his name like maccarinalli – now that’s career ending. If the hayemaker wins, it’s massive scalp as Valuev’s only lost once and never been stopped. The Klits here we come. But if he loses?? well just look ar how many times Ruiz and Rahman have come back!!! Haye will be around for a few years yet, trust me:)
he wont get knocked out by valuev, he will beat him one way or the other and then he will fight one of the brothers and then we will see how good david haye is.
I dont see much uproar here now the shoe is on the other foot regarding decapitated boxers heads.
Funny how all the ladyboys on this site jumped on Haye for doing it, now there turning a blind eye……….
Chris Williams good question. If he loses to Valuev hes screwed as the saviour of the HW division.
Valuev is a real poor version of the Klitchkos, If Haye struggles with the height, reach or weight advantages hes guna find it much harder against a Klitchko.
People keep sayin Haye lacks heavyweight experience to face a Klitchko. This is perfect experience. But obviously he needs to win.
It would be nice to atleast see some credit given to Haye for his achievments at Cruiser weight, and knock the crap off about Barrett knocking him down cuz it didnt happen.
Number ONE Haye Fan – I have your name buddy
Will you keep this username if Haye loses?????
mock was still on his feet when the ref stepped in, still looking capable of fighting on and feeling a little hard done by
c.williams- just to add some value to your point, Lolenga Mock was a talented journeyman fighter who had been robbed of victories in some of the worst decisions i have ever seen. he travelled europe outworking and in some cases outclassing prospects without getting the victories or recognition he deserved, he did however lack power and if my memory serves me correctly had not floored a single opponant going in to the haye fight. the punch that had haye in trouble had only brushed against his temple yet his legs seemed to totally go from underneath him, the fight was stopped prematurely.
i think we are doing a slight diservice to Valuev. He’s still the champ and too his credit doesnt shy away from fighting people who call him out. In his defence both himself and the Klitchkos have poor managers who make it difficult to make any decent fight happen. Theres a reason why he’s a champion, though he was beaten in my opinion by Holyfield and im sure it wont be easy for Haye.
Also give Haye credit for taking the risks, he only wants to fight the people deemed the best and is willing to embarress himself if he loses. Either way Im sure he’ll give it a good crack and he loves the adulation a win brings.
If Haye cant beat him then he should call it a day…… no point discussing it though cos Haye will win!!!
Nice attempt, but wrong on a couple of points:
I was at the Barrett fight and at no stage did Barrett score a knock down, or indeed look like doing so. Secondly, once Haye slipped and Barrett hit him whilst down, Haye was never hurt- he took the extra time he was entitled to take as any other professional would have done.
Haye having a china-chin is only a myth. He has never been kayod and when he’s been on the canvas it’s been through flash knockdowns. Apart from the Thompson fight where he gassed, he’s never been in trouble. The Valuev fight is Taylor made for Haye.
I do think Haye will win because of his speed, but if he loses I suspect we will hear no more from him (unless he still gets a crack at one of the Kiltschko brothers anyway).
He already has a promotional outfit set up and is probably rich enough not to need to fight again. He would be difficult to sell if he loses (anyone remember Audley?) so that will probably be it.
if haye cant beat that giant bum he needs to retire its as simple as that
An article that talks sense!
a rare thing on this site.
Excellent points about valuev’s mauling and the possiblility of him tiring out haye and capitalising later on.
But what intriges everyone about haye is that he admits he is likely to be knocked down if a heavyweight connects, he has supreme confidence that he can use his speed to dish something out to the other guy. There are no certainties where haye fighting at heavyweight is concerned, and that allied with his self-marketing is why he’s such a big draw.
Who knows, he may just be able to back it up?!