By Chris Williams: It was learned yesterday that IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko and challenger David Haye will take place at the O2 Arena in London on June 20th, in a large 20 foot ring. That’s not good news for Haye if this turns out to be the case. Haye, 28, isn’t exactly one of the more mobile heavyweights in the division, although he does have very quick hands. He moves like a slow tank, however, and looks uncoordinated on his feet.
That’s often the case with fighters that put a lot of training on the upper body at the expense of their legs, which remain weak and largely ignored. Having to carry his large upper body around on his thin, pipe stem legs, makes Haye a mostly stationary heavyweight who often cuts off the ring in a plodding manner, reminding one of the older heavyweights of yesterday rather than modern ones like Wladimir Klitschko.
Having a large 20 ft ring to maneuver around in can possibly turn out to be a huge plus for Wladimir. Already, Wladimir goes into the fight with a three inch height and reach advantage, along with a thirty pound weight advantage.
That’s not good for Haye, who will be looking at some big problems in the fight. With Haye’s skinny pipe cleaner legs having to carry his huge upper body around the ring while trying to chase down Wladimir, I have a feeling that Haye will tire out much quicker than he did in his 5th round TKO loss to Carl Thompson in 2004. Except in this situation, Haye probably won’t tire out from punching but rather from his lack of stamina.
That’s the problem when you get these weight trainer types that take up boxing. They’re good for one to six rounds, but after that they’re weak legs tire out from having to move and they get taken out. I’m hoping that’s not the case with Haye, but I have a feeling it is. He doesn’t seem to focus much on his cardiovascular system, instead putting his training into power training and weight lifting exercises.
That’s all well in good if he can corner Wladimir in the first five or six rounds, but if he doesn’t, his bony legs with betray him, turning to rubber and forcing him to fight while resting against the ropes like many fighters with weak legs are forced to do when they wear out.
I don’t think Haye is even focusing on the fact that he’ll be forced to try and chase Wladimir around a big 20 ft ring, and is probably under the impression that he can land a big shot right on the sweet spot in the first couple of rounds and go home a winner with Wladimir’s titles. The good thing is that it’s still early enough for Haye to work on his scrawny wheels and try to build them up a little and get them used to having to move a lot for a full 12 rounds.
If I was his trainer, I’d have him doing a lot of wind sprints mixed in with some long runs. Haye will have to forgo trying to put on anymore weight on his small frame because it seems like all the weight that he’s been putting on has been going straight to his upper body at the expense of endurance. He can’t afford that and needs to try and reverse that process as quick as he can if he’s to have any hope of beating Wladimir.
I would get him in the gym and having him work on his movement, focusing on more endurance work. He doesn’t need to be lifting weights or focusing so much on power punching, because it’s just making his slow and robotic looking. He’s already muscle bound to begin with and is only capable of fighting hard for half a fight without tiring.
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