De La Hoya: “Haye is the most exciting heavyweight in the world”
January 26th, 2010
By Scott Gilfoid: Say what you want about Oscar De La Hoya, but he sure knows how to pump up his fighters and make them look like the best thing since sliced bread. Speaking about World Boxing Association heavyweight champion David Haye, De La Hoya says “With his explosive fighting style, heart, youth and charisma, David Haye is the most exciting heavyweight in the world.” After reading what De La Hoya has to say about Haye, I don’t know if anyone can ever beat this guy?
And as far as fighting style goes, I still have yet to see the exciting, explosive fighter that De La Hoya is talking about. What I’ve seen in two of Haye’s three fights as a heavyweight is a cautious, tentative pot shot artist. If someone was to ask me who Haye reminds me of, I’d have to say Floyd Mayweather Jr. on one of his slow offensive nights.
I haven’t seen a fight of Haye’s at heavyweight where he throws a lot of punches. He seems to stingy with throwing punches like he’s afraid to tire himself out. Maybe Haye can be explosive if he did let his hands go more often, but at heavyweight, I’ve seen only one of his fights where he looked good and that was against an obscure heavyweight by the name of Tomasz Bonin.
I never heard of the dude until he fought Haye, and I haven’t heard of him since. But I did notice that Bonin was defeated by someone named Andrzej Wawrzyk.
Haye will be facing John Ruiz at the M.E.N. Arena, Manchester, Lancashire. That, no doubt, is going to give Haye a big advantage for the fight, because he’s going to have a ton of fans screaming their heads off for him. This is the perfect opportunity for Haye to try and live up to the praise that De La Hoya has given him.
If Haye can’t look explosive against an old fighter like Ruiz, who is both small and not a big puncher, I don’t know what to say. I think De La Hoya will have to re-think his thoughts about Haye being explosive and exciting if he labors to a 12 round win over Ruiz like he did in his last fight against 36-year-old Nikolay Valuev.
I don’t know how you can think Haye is exciting and explosive if he doesn’t show those attributes in fights against Valuev and Ruiz. Just think for a second. Would a prime Mike Tyson play it safe against the likes of Valuev and Ruiz? I somehow doubt it. If Tyson is considered to the gold standard for exciting “explosive heavyweights,” then this is what Haye needs to try and aspire to be.
I’m the first to admit that Haye has both the power and speed to be a Tyson clone if he wants to be, but as of yet, I haven’t seen it from him. I’ve been totally unimpressed with what I’ve seen of Haye in his fights against Monte Barrett and Valuev.
Tags: 32 Responses to “De La Hoya: “Haye is the most exciting heavyweight in the world””
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adamek needs to loan haye his balls for a couple of fights
perfect ring craft? is it leaning forward and exposing his head, punching off the wrong foot, or is it the looping punches, the lack of stamina, or the weak chin that makes him the perfect fighting machine?
haye has fought a 4th tier heavy, then monte, not even a fringe contender these days, then a light punching, clumsy heavyweight whom a 46 year old holyfield did better against (by the way there was no broken hand, there is no cast–idiots), now its ruiz, and is reported to be in talks with bernard hopkins, a 45 year old light heavyweight and then the plan is for valuev again….how stupid are his fans, you really think he wants to fight a live heavyweight???
haye still needs to prove him self against a top heavy weight . stop fighting has beens or never was,s.
Heavy weight champion of the world should fight the best out there and that means vitali or wlad.
I enjoy reading you articles Scott Gilfoid You tell it like it is. Why would anione pay to see another booring boxing match where a boxer throws less than 15 punches a round ,like Haye did against Valuev? I want to see Vitaly mop the ring with Haye, I will pay to see that.
Dizzle your dumb and a nob!!!
To King Khan,
I’d like to know if you would even have the balls to call us Americans “dumb” to our faces. Didn’t think so:)
Look at these dumb stupid Americans on here saying haye is not exciting he is rubbish well what do you lot have to offer in the heavyweight division? Your mouths run and run about your average fighters.
Leave haye alone and give him credit I’m backing him to clean up the heavyweight division
Agreed ukansodof
Haye has picked up a lack lusting heavyweight division by the scruff of the neck and injected some much needed excitement.
He’s 29, he’ll be 30 next year. Really? Wow!
Haye is easy the most charismatic heavyweight since Ali. He is funny, loud and full of it, which is perfect for promotion. He is also the fastest heavyweight around and has near perfect ring craft and he can punch. What more do you guys want?
The fact he is beatable makes him even more exciting. If he beats Ruiz that will be enough, he does not need to KO him… but i think he will. The reason for this is that because he is so fast he hits clean. When he caught Valuev (and everyone else) it was always with clean shots square on the chin and thats how to knockout with style.
He is explosive, he has cleaned up a division (albeit a weak division) and he is loud. All that said he is the most exciting heavyweight out there by far.
Haye has around an 87% Ko ratio, his last fight was dull but when you are facing a guy 8stone heavier and have a broken hand its a good idea not to stand and trade! I’d rather watch Haye than some of these dull americans like Eddie Chambers and Kevin Johnson who couldn’t crack an egg anyday!
I saw David Haye on tv lastnight trashtalking on Ruiz. He said, ‘Ruiz is a cure for insomnia..’ and then went on for a while about how boring Ruiz is and that how he makes great fighters look ‘..less than ordinary.’ Put this together with his last ‘fight’ with Valuev which brought a new meaning to the word boring… I just think Oscar needs to have a word with him about promoting. Way ta blow David, don’t think I’ll be ordering it!
WHO IS Hayes?…
heavyweight division was never the same again after ali,fraizer,foreman,tyson and holyfields and boxing almost died after leonard,duran,hearns,huggler,chavez.thanks its breathing again when an asian brown small man,the pacman,excites the world and restore life in boxing.
The heavyweight division isn’t exciting today but even now Haye is not the most exciting HW… He is the loudest by far, but not the most exciting.
If you count Barrett beïng knocked down 5 times in a 5 round match, while before Haye Couser and after Haye Solis took him out in 2. And even had to survive with holding and grabbing in round 1 against a slow and boring Ustinov then I can’t see the unstopable power that’s Haye.
There are a lot more exciting and powerfull heavyweights right now, but they didn’t step up the big plate yet and don’t have such a big mouth either.
I even see Arreola as more exciting, even with his shortcomings, Boystov, Solis, Adamek, Tua… more exciting and some are a lot busier than Haye at heavyweight.
That’s another point of excitement… FIGHT! It took Haye 8 months to step in the ring with Barrett and then 12 to fight Valuev, and the Bronin fight was way back in april of 2007… Get out there, show yourself!
Adamek already has planned a Arreola bout before he takes on Estrada, now that’s entertaining!
Oscar needs to get out more if he thinks Haye is a exciting heavyweight.He could not have watched he’s last fight.Klitschko will get you out of there in 10 rounds
David Haye is not mike tyson, nor does he want to be or need to be. He is david haye. And as a heavyweight he is so far unbeaten.
Tyson got beat plenty of times.
Ruiz will get knocked out within 6 rounds against haye. Only the klitchos have any chance of beating him.
until or if tuaman steps up his game and comes back onto the big scene, haye is the most exciting and explosive fighter out there at heavyweight.
5 knock downs and a k.o of barrett proves it, rocking the giant proves his power as he’s the first to even rock him never mind come near to a knockdown or k.o.
the klitchko’s are very wary of him in boxing terms never mind what they say.
as someone said earlier had Haye been a US fighter he’d be as bigged up as possible.just like johnson,arreola,chambers etc all have been going into fights.
accept Haye’s the man other than the Klitchko’s until he’s beaten. and i’m sorry but it aint gonna be Ruiz that changes that.
and on that score Haye dont even need to k.o him to prove anything, when was the last time we had a decent knock out win at heavyweight ? certainly not from either of the other champs so why is it so necessary for the Hayemaker to do so. a win is a win. and anyway for how much Ruiz is being bigged up by people theres enough credit for Haye in just taking the win.
Oscar is trying hard to sell his wba champ. Being loud is not exciting, it is childish and that is haye.
ahcaw,
You watch and see HAYE will save the day!!!!!! He will bring the division back to life like it was in the Tyson era…
Haye will save the heavyweight division and get rid of all of the sorry bums in the division…..
Haye is at best interesting,but he has neither the power or speed of a prime (21yr old) Tyson.
Against Monte he knocked him down five times. That’s explosive. Haye is a great counter puncher and slips the jab and invites punches so he can counter with power. Throwing multiple punches and missing the target is tiring and Haye is good at avoiding jabs.
If Haye was American you’d love him.
I look forward to Haye returning back to his explosive best against Ruiz.
I have a theory that you can make millions of dollars by betting against any fighter that De La Hoya thinks will win.
Haye is the most exciting heavyweight, Thats because the division is horrible. If he KO’s Ruiz it will be a start for Haye. He has to KO Ruiz in a dramatic fashion. Haye could really capatilize on the lack of excitment in this division and make some serious money doing so.
its called promotion. if ODLA’s tactics work, there would even be a few sport writers writing about it to give even more publicity to a dull fight that desperately needs it.
thats the heavyweight division nowadays!
I would agree that David Haye is the most exciting heavy weight in boxing. That being said, look at the heavy weight division, the bar is not exactly set high.
So far as a HW there has’nt been any excitement. If having a big mouth is what’s considered being exciting these days then I guess he is.
i think de la hoya has been hit in the head to many times.