By Scott Gilfoid: British heavyweight David Haye (22-1, 21 KOs) has finally landed a Klitschko, in this case Wladimir, the IBF/WBO heavyweight champion and considered by many boxing fans to be the best heavyweight on the planet. The fight will take place at the Stamford Bridge, in London on June 20th. Haye, 28, will be making a big step up from the mediocre heavyweight competition that he’s faced thus far in facing Wladimir.
Haye has many question marks surrounding himself as he enters into this fight, starting with whether his fragile chin can take a heavyweight punch like the ones that Wladimir Klitschko will be heaving his way for the entire bout. Haye looks like a bodybuilder but doesn’t have the chin to match, unfortunately. He’s going to have to find one or else risk getting taken out quick like by the lighting fast Wladimir.
Haye also has a problem in this fight due to his lack of size. In his last bout against a journeyman by the name of Monte Barrett, Haye fought at a small 215, and looked about as big as he can possibly get without slowing down. Blessed with a this bones and a small frame, the 6’3″ Haye probably can’t get much bigger than he is now unless he goes on a crash course weight gaining diet.
I think that’s a terrible idea for him. He’ll look like a little tank if he puts on any more weight than he is now, and will probably move as good as one too. At 6’6″, 245, Wladimir is cat like quick at his weight, not muscle bound or slow. Haye, who’s known for his hand speed, will lose much of it if he gets any bigger.
At the same time, unless he gets bigger, he’s going to get thrown around the ring each time he’s hit by the much bigger Wladimir. It’s a no win situation. Let’s say this: Haye will probably lose, that’s pretty much a given. But he has a good chance of going down in a heroic fashion much like the captain of the Titanic by making a brave all out attack against Wladimir in the first couple of rounds.
In doing so, Haye might land a couple of huge clubbing shots and dropping Wladimir once or twice. The bigger problem is that once Wladimir gets up, he’s going to be putting on hurting on Haye’s glass jaw and sending him into the stratosphere at some point early on.
Normally, Wladimir fights cautiously until later on in the fight when he feels that it’s safe, at which point he goes for the kill. But against Haye, Wladimir will be forced to trade bombs with him almost immediately and in doing so, he’ll lop off Haye’s head with huge shot and take him out.
This may sound like a lot of fantasy BS, but it’s really not. Haye has only once chance to look good and that’s by going immediately after Wladimir with both guns blazing. If Haye stays on the outside and hunts and pecks, Wladimir will pick him apart with jabs, left hooks and straight rights.
That’s why I expect Haye to try and cash out early by taking a bold risk and coming right at Wladimir in the same way that Corrie Sanders did in his 2nd round TKO upset of Wladimir in 2003. It worked for Sanders, so maybe it will work for Haye, too? It won’t, but at least Haye will look good in going down for the count.
Comments are closed.