By Adam Laiolo: I’ve never quite agreed with the notion of a reigning champion from one division leapfrogging a whole host of other ranked fighters in another division based purely on their achievements at another weight, especially when fighters have plied their trade for years to get to where they are. So when the WBC and WBO announced their inclusion of David Haye into their rankings (WBC #5 WBO #3), many a heavyweight must have been thinking someone was having a laugh and especially hard done to. It’s like a gift, ‘This is to help you on your way, Mr. Haye.’
Does beating Tomasz Bonin, in albeit spectacular fashion, really catapult you above fighters like James Toney and Chris Arreola? Even other fighters like Andrew Golota and JD Chapman are going to be felt aggrieved. And these are fighters Haye doesn’t even know if he could beat. I mean granted he put a dent in Bonin’s face who was no pushover but against a slick fighter like Toney or a fearsome Chris Arreola who have experience at Heavyweight what are his chances?. Haye feels he could beat all of these without even trying, that is either some serious statement of intent or some serious disrespect. The statements, quotes, comments have all come thick and fast from David Haye, since the moment he knocked out Enzo Macarinelli.
And he is yet to back it up, confronting a world champion in Wladimir Klitschko at dinner shows a lack of class and decorum. We’ve all heard how he’s going to pile the pounds on efficiently, not just pack on the muscle, long distance running with former Olympic marathon runners in searing heat in Cyprus and a tripled calorie intake of food only organic his body is, a temple you could say.
And he’s taken his time to do it, so maybe it’s not his jumping up to that weight that could prove the problem. The question of whether David Haye is going to succeed at heavyweight will be answered in his first fight, maybe even the first round. The first time he gets hit by a legitimate heavyweight (Bonin didn’t land a meaningful punch) we’ll see how that chin holds up against the biggest punchers in the sport. It’s one thing getting hit by Enzo Mac, another getting hit by an Arreola or almost definitely a Klitschko. Haye believes that his speed, stamina and power through serious intensive training are going to do the work for him, seeing himself as some sort of physical masterpiece that brings fear to mere mortals.
Not quite. Being in absolute peak physical condition is obviously crucial and he’s gone about it in such a well planned way, but you can’t help but wonder how much work he done to adapt to the heavyweight game in his skills. Haye isn’t the most technical fighter to come out of London never mind a division.
He’s been caught, knocked down, exposed and out boxed a few times in his career, Carl Thompson had him out, Jean Marc Mormeck floored and dominated him early on. Granted Haye was a lot less experienced in the Thompson fight and eventually won the Mormeck match up, you still feel somewhat unconvinced that a heavyweight punch will sit nicely with him. He’s obviously prepared to jump in at the deep end with the sharks and get right in the mix of top-rated heavyweights, but is he going to fight one?
With Monte Barrett or Ray Mercer looking like the options after some questionable backings out, the answer looks like no. It could prove to be a wise move, a gentle introduction to the heavyweight division is what’s needed, maybe Wladimir will come knocking if he beats Alexander Povetkin to gain some much needed excitement but the question of whether Haye will be ready a true heavyweight by then remains to be seen. But of course, there will be no doubt in his mind.