By Scott Gilfoid: World Boxing Association heavyweight champion David Haye (23-1, 21 KO’s) wisely admits that he doesn’t think he can match the great legacy of former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis (41-2-1, 32 KOs), even if Haye beats Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko in the future. In an article at the Daily mail, Haye says “He [Lewis] had that many more years to and much more experience. He was an Olympic Gold Medalist, so it would be tough.” You think? It’s good that Haye is admitting this because it’s pretty clear that Haye won’t be able to come close to accomplishing what Lewis did in his career at heavyweight. The problem Haye is that he just doesn’t enough time, and still hasn’t fought anyone worth mentioning.

Thus far, Haye has fought Tomasz Bonin, Monte Barrett and Nikolay Valuev at heavyweight. And Haye wants to be compared to Lewis? If Haye wants to emulate Lewis, it would mean that Haye would have to stick around into his 40s to make up for all the years he didn’t fight at heavyweight. Lewis retired at 38, having beaten fighters like Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Vitali Klitschko, Shannon Briggs, David Tua, Hasim Rahman, Ray Mercer, Tommy Morrison and Andre Golota. For Haye to match that, he’d have to stick around long past his 31st birthday, which is when he said he wants to retire.

Haye says “Even if I knock out [John] Ruiz, and Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, it would still be hard for me to then say I was better than Lewis.” Let me break this to Haye: he wouldn’t be able to compare yourself to Lewis. Oh, sure Haye could compare himself to Lewis all he wants, but I think most people would think he’s deluded. Beating the Klitschko brothers would be nice, but it still wouldn’t compare to what Lewis accomplished during his 14-years as a pro.

Haye would have to stay around for years, beating all the rest of the heavyweight contenders and then still hang around and beat the next young crop of heavyweights before he can compare to Lewis. The problem is Haye is too short to be anything like Lewis. Haye doesn’t have the height, the reach, the weight or the cannon of a right hand that Lewis had. Lewis had the complete package going for him at heavyweight.

Haye is like a pumped up cruiserweight who still hasn’t fought anyone good, but who talks as if he’s been a champion for years. At this point, I’d be surprised if Haye can get by Ruiz without going life and death with him. Can you imagine a prime Lewis struggling to beat Valuev?

Can you? Even if Lewis hurt his right hand like Haye says he did early in the fight, Lewis, with his powerful left hook, would have chopped Valuev down without any problems. And if Lewis was still able to throw right hands like Haye showed in briefly staggering Valuev in the 12th round with one of them, then he would have destroyed Valuev well before the 12th.

Actually, I see Valuev lasting only one round against a prime Lewis. Valuev would be totally decimated by Lewis in the 1st round. I think Haye would be better off comparing himself to someone a little less talented than Lewis. I don’t know who you can compare Haye with at this point because he hasn’t really accomplished anything as of yet.