By Scott Gilfoid: WBA heavyweight champion David Haye (25-1, 23 Ko’s) has been thrown off kilter by IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko’s lack of response to Haye’s attempts to intimidate and put him off his game with his trash talking in the past couple of weeks. Haye usually is able to unnerve his opponents by saying things that puts them on their heels as they lead up to the fight.

In doing so, Haye gets a little edge that seems to help him in his fights. But with Wladimir, he’s struck out completely as he’s been immune to Haye’s comments. In fact, Wladimir has turned the game around and proved to be the much better talker and is willing to get close to Haye to try and intimidate him with his size and presence. It’s clearly working for Wladimir, because Haye no longer is comfortable sitting in the same room with him and is resorting to making excuses for his unwillingness to be near the big 6’6″ Ukrainian.

Speaking with the BBC Sport, Haye said “I’ve looked in his eyes a couple of times in the last two weeks and he’s not phased one bit. He genuinely thinks I’m just an irritating little man who happens to have the title and he’s going to swat me across the face. I expect that because he’s had such a long campaign as champion that he’s not phased by me.”

Haye isn’t facing one of his typical opponents that he’s been feasting on since he moved up to the heavyweight division. This isn’t the 38-year-old John Ruiz, 38-year-old Monte Barrett, 39-year-old Audley Harrison or the 36-year-old Nikolay Valuev. Let’s face it: Haye has fought nothing but a bunch of old guys since he moved up to heavyweight and he’s been able to have his way with these fading fighters. But now that he’s finally fighting someone that is good, he’s not able to intimidate Wladimir or get any of edge. Wladimir knows what he sees in Haye – a taller version of Arthur Abraham. A fighter that throws wild looping shots but who doesn’t have any real boxing ability or defense other than his foot movement. This is a mismatch and Wladimir knows it.