Haye vs. Valuev: Will David quiet his Critics if He beats Nikolay?

By Boxing News - 10/09/2009 - Comments

haye434658By Jason Kim: You have to wonder if British heavyweight David Haye will gain much respect if he’s able to beat World Boxing Association heavyweight champion Nikolay Valuev next month in their title bout in Berlin, Germany. Haye will have a great chance of taking Valuev’s title next month because Haye appears to have all the advantages in the fight except for size.

Valuev is bigger than Haye, but he’s so painfully slow that it’s highly unlikely that Valuev will be able to lay a glove on Haye before getting knocked out. This fight could very well be over in two or three one-sided rounds. Valuev doesn’t have very good defense and he doesn’t have the poor to keep Haye at bay for long.

But will Haye get any respect if he’s able to beat the big Russian fighter? I think not. Many boxing fans see Valuev as a mirage, a fighter that has been carefully managed and put in with mostly soft heavyweights without a lot of power. Valuev has victories over fighters like Barrett, Owen Beck, Evander Holyfied and John Ruiz. Missing from those names are fighters like the Klitschko brothers, Alexander Povetkin and Eddie Chambers, some of the best heavyweights in the division.

Haye might not be in the class of the Klitschko brothers but then again, he might not need to be for him to beat an older fighter like Valuev. Yet even if Haye does beat Valuev, boxing fans will likely give Haye little credit for having so. Haye might not care what people think as long as he gets the title and a good payday in beating Valuev.

Haye can then use the WBA title as bait for the Klitschko brothers, who seem to set a great value in trying to capture all the major heavyweight titles. Haye, who was in a position of weakness before while trying to negotiate with the Klitschko’s, could suddenly find himself in a position of strength.

Haye, 28, has twice talked his way into title shots, first against IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko and then against his brother WBC title holder Vitali Klitschko, only to pull out for one excuse or another. The fact that Haye backed out of not one but two fights against the Klitschko brothers left many boxing fans with the impression that Haye lacks the nerve to fight them.

On November 7th, Haye will be facing the 36-year-old Valuev after having faced only two heavyweights during his entire career. Haye moved up from the cruiserweight division last year, and beat Monte Barrett by a 5th round stoppage in Haye’s second fight as a heavyweight.

Normally, heavyweight contenders, if they’re really good, need to fight at least handful of good fighters before they land a title shot. They may or may not need to fight a top contender or two before getting a title shot. Haye seems to have received his shot based on little other than his victory over the 38-year-old Barrett.



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