By William Mackay: Speaking from experience, European Boxing Union (EBU) heavyweight champion Audley Harrison (27-4, 20 KO’s) doesn’t give fellow Brit WBA heavyweight champion David Haye (24-1, 22 KO’s) much of a chance at beating either of the Klitschko brothers if and when Haye decides to fight either of them. Harrison has sparred with Haye in the past and knows how good he is. In an article at the Sun, Harrison says “Haye will have a puncher’s chance against the Klitschkos but that’s about it. He’s far too open [defensively] to cause too many problems for the top heavyweights. Being so open, might make Haye exciting, but that style has the Klitschko brothers chomping at the bit to fight him.” I 100% agree with Harrison. Haye is completely wide open when he throws his big haymaker shots and especially wide open against big heavyweights like the Klitschko brothers.

Haye might be able to get away with his bad habit of throwing wide lunging shots against smaller and older heavyweights like 38-year-old Monte Barrett, 36-year-old Nikolay Valuev and 38-year-old John Ruiz – three of the four heavyweights that Haye has fought in his career – but against big heavyweights with power and skill like the Klitschko brothers, Haye is going to get nailed when he throws his wild shots.

This is why both Klitschko brothers so badly want to fight Haye. They see a fighter that is technically unsound, who has faced mostly smaller European cruiserweights and older heavyweights in his career and who is ripe for a beating. I think Harrison is dead on about Haye not being too much of a problem for top heavyweights. Besides the Klitschko brothers, I think a number of other top heavyweights would easily beat Haye, fighters like Odlanier Solis, Alexander Povetkin, Samuel Peter, Tony Thompson, Denis Boytsov, and Chris Arreola. I think Tomasz Adamek, Harrison, Ruslan Chagaev, Alexander Dimitrenko and Kevin Johnson would have a decent chance at beating Haye too.

Unfortunately, Haye hasn’t fought any of these guys since moving up to the heavyweight division. These are the heavyweights that Haye needs to fight if he wants to prove himself in the division. The problem is Haye, with his timeline of only two years more in his boxing career before he retires, likely won’t fight any of them other than perhaps one of the Klitschko brothers. If that does turn out to be the case, it’s too bad because boxing fans would at least be able to find out if Harrison was correct about Haye not being too much of a problem for top heavyweights.

Haye beat Ruiz, Valuev and Barrett, who all were top heavyweights at the time that Haye fought them, but if you were to ask knowledgeable boxing fans if they believed that those fighters were truly the top heavyweights in the division at the time that Haye fought them, few would answer in the affirmative. Valuev was lucky to have beaten a 46-year-old Evander Holyfield in his last fight before facing Haye, beating Holyfield by a questionable 12 round decision in Switzerland. That fight kind of showed how much Valuev had aged and slowed down as a fighter. Haye, for his part, barely beat Valuev, winning by a 12 round majority decision and averaging little better than 10 punches thrown per round.

Harrison could end up fighting the Klitschko brothers before Haye, simply because Harrison might in the end be easier to negotiate with compared to Haye, who wants a minimum of a 50-50 deal with Wladimir Klitschko for the purse split. Harrison has to first defend his EBU title against number #1 mandatory challenger Alexander Dimitrenko. Harrison says “Winning the European crown gives me a top 10 ranking, putting me closer to world title fights.

The mandatory opponent for my European belt is Alexander Dimitrenko and when I beat him later this year, I will take his no #5 ranking. I’m more than happy to fight him because at 6’7”, it will be ideal preparation to face the Klitschkos. People keep mocking me but they don’t realize boxing is my Gold given talent and I will be crowned the world champion. It’s no accident I won the Commonwealth gold medal, the Olympic gold and now the European title.”