By Aykan Tahir: When David Haye lost to Carl Thompson he was 23 years old, who as a 23 year old didn’t make a mistake? Haye landed some great shots on Thompson and saw an opening and expended all his energy going for an immediate knockout. He ended up punching himself out and leaving himself open as a result which resulted in his one and only loss. What makes the true champions, not only in this sport but in all sports, is bouncing back from a loss and Haye done this in great style.

Since this Thompson fight in September 2004 Haye has developed greatly as a boxer, he learnt his lesson and became stronger as a result so I’m saying don’t judge him on his one loss but judge him on how he learnt from it.

After the Vitali Klitschko and Chris Arreola fight a lot of fans are saying that Arreola would knock Haye out as that Haye’s punches would just bounce off of Arreola’s chin without any real effect and then Arreola’s perceived superior power would be enough to knock Haye out but I disagree. Haye’s natural body weight is over that of the cruiserweight division so now he’s moved up to the heavyweight division he can finally let his body adjust to its natural weight and train to that. This means that Haye can punch harder than he ever has done in his career and if he fought Arreola last week then there’s a good chance he would have won in half the time Klitschko did. Haye’s speed, experience in title fights and power is what makes him a worthy challenger for the heavyweight titles and I find it unbelievable that people are not giving him credit where credit is due, Haye takes boxing seriously and so we should take Haye seriously.

The main reason I believe Haye would take Arreola out is because of their conditioning and how serious they take their profession, both have passion but this isn’t enough in this sport at the top level. Haye is a true athlete who is in great shape, he trains hard and there’s no body mass there that shouldn’t be (his hair and beard not included) whereas Arreola doesn’t look like an athlete but more of a Dudley brother professional entertainment wrestler. This is what sets them apart and this is what Arreola must work on if he is to put up a worthy title challenge as Haye is. Haye has been a world champion, something Arreola hasn’t, and this experience adds a dynamic to Haye’s game which is what many fighters lack nowadays.

Haye bounced back from a loss but will Arreola be able to? The style in which Arreola comes back to the ring will also be telling, will he still come back overweight and without looking as a top class fighter should? If he comes back with his blubber then we can know that he hasn’t taken this sport and its competitors seriously enough and so his chances of ever reaching the top will remain a hope rather than a chance.

Regarding Haye and the Klitschko’s I believe Haye would win against both, he’s a cunning fighter but a destructive one at the same time. Vitali looked all over the place in his fight against Arreola, his footwork left him flustered and open when Arreola tried to move in but unlike Arreola I see Haye would be able to land clean shots on Vitali’s chin. As for Vitali’s younger brother, Wladimir, I see Haye as being able to knock him out because he has a weaker chin than most champions have had in the past. Both Vitali and Wladimir are fantastic champions but arguably in recent years they have never fought a boxer in Haye’s class, most have been heavy footed fighters without that spark and Haye definitely has a spark! The exciting thing with these upcoming fights is that both Haye and the champions have the potential to win, Haye can end it with a single flurry of punches and the brothers could potentially do the same.

I haven’t even mentioned Nikolai Valuev’s fight against Haye on November 7th yet but I’ve seen Haye’s condition and he looks the best he’s ever been. Valuev looks the same as he always does but that isn’t a bad thing for him. Valuev has a chance of a points victory or even a knockout because to be honest one sweet punch is all it takes to finish any fighter whether they are Valuev, Haye, Arreola or a Klitschko. Haye’s low guard is always a concern but I think that will be less of a concern in this fight against Valuev as it would be against a Klitschko. I see the outcome of this fight as a Haye victory though and I see it coming by way of technical knockout, the referee will have to stop the fight as Valuev will no longer be able to defend himself. Valuev struggled against Holyfield and in my opinion Haye is faster, more skilled and a harder puncher than his last opponent, Valuev with have his massive hands full!

Whoever wins, there is big money to be won and big viewing figures to be captured. Heavyweight boxings future looks bright and we have David Haye to thank for that.