Lennox Lewis Not Sure Whether Haye Will Beat Valuev

By Boxing News - 09/23/2009 - Comments

haye432445By Scott Gilfoid: Former International Boxing Federation/World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis sounds less than confident that British heavyweight contender David Haye (22-1, 21 KO’s) will have success as a heavyweight or beat WBA heavyweight champion Nikolay Valuev (50-1, 34 KO’s) on November 7th, at the Arena Numberg Versicherung, in Nuremburg, Germany.

According to Boxing News, Lewis had this to say about Haye’s chances against Valuev: “If he [Haye] uses his speed, he can dance around Valuev.

I actually thought Holyfield beat him [Valuev] , and he’s going to have trouble catching up to David. But if Valuev puts his weight on him [Haye], it’s a lot to have to push off. David will be trying to hit these guys and knock them out, but these guys don’t move easily.”

So true, Lewis. Thank you for your wisdom. I’ve been saying the same thing for ages since Haye first got the idea to move up to the heavyweight division. Haye is simply too light for the division and doesn’t have the chin to compete against the big boys like the Klitschko brothers and some of the other big heavyweights.

Even the not so big heavyweights in the division, like Odlanier Solis, Lamon Brewster, and Alexander Povetkin would probably be too much for the glass-jawed Haye. I’m not a fan of Valuev in any way, but even he might be too much for the little Haye to deal with. Lewis has it right.

If Haye can move around the ring and avoid Valuev, then Haye will have a good chance to win the fight. But it Haye gets over confident or lazy, he’ll be mauled the same way he would be if he stepped in the cage with a Kodiak bear. Valuev will lean on Haye, hit him with short punches and throw around like a play thing on the inside. I can just see it.

Haye will have a sad, helpless look on his face, as if he’s a trapped lamb about to be slaughtered by the huge 7 foot Valuev. Right now, Haye is pretty cocky, the way he always is before he steps in the ring with one of his typically over-matched opponents. But in this situation, Haye isn’t taking on one of his lackluster, untalented cruiserweight opponents. Haye is taking on a heavyweight the size of a bear and with the power to test Haye’s glass chin.

Looking into the future, I see Haye as having a lot of problems unless he’s matched very carefully. He won’t get much bigger than 215, roughly the same size as Holyfield. But Haye won’t have the chin that Holyfield possessed earlier in his career and will be getting knocked out like clockwork once Haye starts stepping it up against better heavyweights than Valuev.

I have a sinking suspicion that Haye won’t make it past Valuev on November 7th. If Valuev can lay glove on Haye, I see him staggering the British heavyweight hopeful and sending him down on the canvas where he’ll be counted out. My only hope is that Haye will move back down to the cruiserweight division where he belongs.



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