Haye vs Fury: The Great British Battle

By Gary Webster - 07/19/2013 - Comments

haye#5By Gary Webster: The biggest prize in world sport has been lost, undervalued and under appreciated for as long as any casual fan of the ”the sweet science” can care to remember. Heavyweight boxing was a prestige, a mantle in which all tradesman, of all courses aspired to test or regard themselves against.

II was at benchmark not only of a persons talent, but their desire to test themselves to the limit in what is ”the hurt game”.

The heavyweight division in Britain, once again has the boxing purists and carefree fans buzzing with the eagerly anticipated dust up of David Haye (26-2, 24 KO’s) vs Tyson Fury (21-0, 15 KO’s) pitched in a battle of what we would call a dire straights. All credit to Mark Knofler for his supreme gift.

The glory glory days of Frazier, Norton, Foreman, Marciano and Louis are so far gone, they are just in the memory bank and for some are nothing more than a pleasurable memory. Lke a first date.
A blueprint of what should be expected for a time to come.

I for one, apart from the the early blooming and explicit Iron Mike ”Dynamite Kid” Tyson and the ever so consistent, unflappable, yet possibly according to some ”stale” Lennox Lewis,…not my onion, have a right to feel ever so slightly cheated.

What was the sports most glamorous division is now talking again, if not for the annihilation of two of the best British heavyweights currently applying their trade in what could, should only be described as a treat for the fans, about time!

The slick moving moving, hard hitting Haye, (once described as a arthritic holding a jelly baby) Haye vs. the genetically gifted, tough, durable Fury, has a sizzle to add to any two pound steak, that you could find anywhere across all borders.

I speak for myself (hoping that others may feel the same ) when I feel that boxing is in a state of recession, the only people that stand to loose are the baying public.

Back to the topic!! With all the trash talking, socialites, singing and talking of new caravans, who really walks into Manchester’s, MEN arena on the 28th of September and comes out the best of the the British.

David Haye, a showman, a physical specimen, a heavy handed and tried and tested supreme cruiserweight, with the ability to move, hit as hard with both hands as any boxer in recent history (ask Audley Harrison or “Del Boy” Dereck Chisora if they can recall) can close a party early. Cons: like any elite sportsman he has them, questions over his stamina have been ever present since the Carl ”The Cat” Thompson fight, although a heavier Haye appears on the surface, at least, to be far quicker than any of the contenders in the 200lbs+ category.

Hayes low left hand lead appears (if nothing more than George Groves, another Adam Booth star in the wings) to be be an invitation to be hit, has in vulnerabilities, but the best boxers of their generations have always thought outside the box.
How to beat Haye? box him at range and give him nothing, Wladimir klitschko did it perfectly, he used his size up close, pushed, leant and wrestled when was required, frustrated Haye, took Haye away from a rhythm in which he doesnt have.

On to Fury. At 6”9, you would think a stiff jab with a banging right hand would give you a easy nights work on more than few occasions. Well, like Haye, Fury, is far from conventional.

A beast of a man than likes to apply his trade with a barrage of punches up close, a wrestle, a push and shove and a sing to boot!
Any man that that can out talk Haye at a press conference certainly has a wish to not be ignored.

Over inflated ego possibly. Has he backed it up? Difficult to distinguish with his level of competition so far but I sense he fancies a “ruck”.

His pros: size for starters, a heart (which if were honest we would all struggle without), stamina and throws more shots than any heavyweight his size that I can recall in history, even if they are range finders.

Flaws, and he certainly has them: suspect chin (that appears to be 95% ot the classified division), average jab for a man his size and never boxed at the elite level, that’s not a criticism, its a fact, but its coming.

In my opinion, Haye starts slow like against all 6’5+ stalwarts (Harrison, Valuev, Klitschko) and and tries to find range, a middle to late stoppage in favor of Haye.

Interested in your thoughts, Cheers.



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