By William Mackay: WBA heavyweight champion David Haye (24-1, 22 KO’s) is favored to beat former 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist Audley Harrison (27-4, 20 KO’s) next month in their fight at the M.E.N. Arena, in Manchester, England. However, not everyone sees Haye as the winner of that fight. Boxers Martin Rogan and Derek Chisora are both picking Harrison to beat Haye, feeling that he wants it more than Haye. In a Skysports.com, article, Chisora says “I know both fighters and I’ve seen Audley Harrison fight and I’ve seen David Haye fight and I’d put my money on Audley, because he’s got the eye of the tiger. He wants it more than David. David Haye didn’t want this fight, he’s the champion, but I don’t think he wants to fight any more. I think he wanted to be champion and prove to the people, but I don’t think he wants to fight – But Audley does and I think he will put it on him.”

I agree with Chisora. I think Haye was really confident and wanted the fight against the vulnerable aging Nikolay Valuev when Haye captured the WBA heavyweight title. But in the John Ruiz fight, Haye looked like he didn’t want to be there and his actions since then, the way he disappeared for months without giving interviews, seems to suggest someone that is withdrawing for some reason. Going into a fight against Harrison, who wants this fight more anything, I don’t know that Haye will be willing to fight hard enough to get the win.

Harrison is going to be throwing bombs with his left hand and I can see Haye getting caught by one of them and shook up. If Harrison can hurt Haye, you can bet he’ll pounce on him like a tiger and take him apart with left hands. Harrison can really punch with his left and good power with his right as well. He’s one of those rare punchers that is equally dangerous whether up close or at a distance.

Rogan had this to say about the Haye-Harrison fight: “His [Harrison] dream of the last 10 years of wanting to become a world champion has finally come and David, as powerful as he is, is suspect. Anybody who gets hit is going to go down but Audley has this amazing left hand, as he’s proved in Prizefighter, and he can sting, and if he stings you go down and don’t get back up. As Derek says, he’s got the eye of the tiger, he’s got that light in his eyes that this is his chance. He can’t blow it this time, there’s no second chances this time; he has to do it now or he has to finish it off and pack it in.”