By William Mackay: It’s sad to say that it took only one month of former cruiserweight champion David Haye opening his mouth night and day to pretty much singlehandedly create the biggest fight of International Boxing Federation/World Boxing Federation heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko’s entire career. The interest in this fight sure isn’t coming from Klitschko’s side, as like in all prefight promotions of his fights, Wladimir has stayed ever stoic, almost like a robot next to the much more animated Haye.
For the past month, Haye has come up with one ingenious idea after another to get under Klitschko’s skin while at the same time grabbing media headlines with his antics.
Wladimir has been like a straight man, responding to Haye’s jokes and insults with anger, bitterness and confusion. In a way, it’s almost as if Haye and Wladimir were made for each other, polar opposites that somehow create interest due for their completely different natures.
Haye, 28, has done most of the heavy lifting to bring attention to their June 20th fight at Veltins Arena, in Germany. Without Haye coming up with bizarre press conference antics, such as wearing a t-shirt showing the decapitated heads of Wladimir and his brother Vitali Klitschko, the fight would likely have received much less attention in the media.
The low key approach has become almost a trademark for Wladimir Klitschko, since he’s usually very polite with his opponents in the press conferences before their bout, and often says the same things over and over again without coming up with new material.
With Haye, however, he’s like a an actor or comic, who plans out each interview and press conference in strategic detail, having his one-liners ready to spring on a unsuspecting Klitschko. It makes for very entertaining press conferences each time.
The seating for the 63,000 Veltin arena has already sold out long ago, thanks to the efforts of Haye. And from this point further, Haye is helping bring more attention to the fight for other parts of the globe as the fight gets nearer.
Usually, Wladimir’s opponents are respectful of him, saying mostly good things about. Haye, however, refuses to be respectful of Klitschko, and goes for the throat each time he’s on stage. It’s as if Haye doesn’t want anyone in the room to be bored, and the best way to ensure that is to make sure that Wladimir is under a constant verbal assault, even when it’s his turn to speak.
Wladimir angrily bites back, making promises how he’s going to make Haye pay in the ring by making him suffer for his insults. However, all Klitschko’s words seem to do is bring on smiles and laughter from Haye, followed by another flurry of insults back at Wladimir.
It may end up that Klitschko does carry out his threat by knocking Haye out in the 12th, but you’d never know it by looking at Haye. He just doesn’t seem to care what Klitschko says, and has an inner confidence that seems to be missing from Wladimir.
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