By Scott Gilfoid: Heavyweight Chris Arreola (27-1, 24 KO’s) may have been hopelessly over-matched last weekend in his 10th round destruction by Vitali Klitschko at the Staples Center, but I can’t help thinking that if it had been David Haye that Arreola was chasing down instead of the big 6’7″ Vitali Klitschko then Haye would have been in serious trouble by the 3rd or 4th rounds.
Haye, at 6’3″, doesn’t have size and reach to keep Arreola from getting near him like Haye was able to do as a cruiserweight. Additionally, Arreola wouldn’t be obliterated with the first flurry that Haye threw like David’s cruiserweight opponents or his sub-par heavyweight opponents that have been hand picked for Haye to look good against. What would happen if Arreola wasn’t knocked down or stopped in his tracks like so many of Haye’s other opponents?
What would Haye do when Arreola shakes off his shots like they’re nothing and keeps coming forward to land his own power shots. Would Haye head for the hills and run from Arreola and if so, how long could Haye run before Arreola eventually catches up to him? No doubt, Arreola isn’t nearly as fast as Haye in terms of hand speed, but then again he’s usually not as fast as his opponents so this is really nothing new for him.
It would be interesting to see how Haye would cope with a fighter like Arreola who wasn’t bothered by Haye’s shots. Frankly, I think Haye’s power is way overrated. He was a good puncher at cruiserweight, but as a heavyweight, his shots seem much more average and nothing really special. I think Arreola may in fact be a bigger puncher than Haye.
And that’s the thing that would be a problem for Haye. He can dish it out but he’s never really proven that he can take getting hit with power that is on par with his own. He was hurt by Jean Marc Mormeck, a short cruiserweight who didn’t have the height and reach to finish him off. Carl Thompson, a 6’0″, forty-year-old, was able to catch up to Haye and take him out in the 5th round five years ago in 2004.
Since that time, Haye has been in with mostly a series of fighters that were more or less tailor made for him. Either they had glass jaws or they were smaller than him. Against the 6’4 250 pound Arreola, Haye would be smaller in reach, height and weight.
That’s something that you can’t overlook. Arreola would have the better chin and almost equal power. The only thing that Arreola wouldn’t have is Haye’s hand speed, but what good would hand speed be for Haye if he can’t hurt Arreola or slow him down?
Haye has never had to run from anyone and isn’t a very good mover except when moving in and out of range. Against Arreola, Haye would have to run, because the in and out thing wouldn’t work for him. Arreola would be trying to take his head off and the first big whiff from one of Arreola’s shots would likely put Haye in a state of panic where he’d star running like his life depended on it.
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