Khan picking Haye to beat Wladimir

By Boxing News - 06/23/2011 - Comments

Image: Khan picking Haye to beat WladimirBy William Mackay: WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan is picking World Boxing Association heavyweight champion David Haye to beat IBf/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko on July 2nd.

Klitschko, 35, is a heavy favorite to beat Britain’s Haye, mostly because of Wladimir’s experience and size.

In an interview at Ringtv, Khan said “He’ll [Haye] definitely win.”
Khan thinks a win over Wladimir will help make Haye a big star in the United States. However, it hardly matters at this point because Haye is adamant about retiring by his 31st birthday in October.

Haye doesn’t want to fight past that age, even if it means that he’s walking away from a tremendous payday against WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko, the older brother of Wladimir. Haye is retiring at the worst possible time, just as he’s on the cusp of becoming popular and making really huge money fight after fight.

Khan said this about Haye becoming a star in the U.S: “David’s got a little bit of a way to go over here but I think this fight with Klitschko will definitely help him…I do think one or two fights in America will make him a star.”

It may or it may not. If Haye gets destroyed by Wladimir, then, no, it won’t make him a star. If Haye gets knocked out by Wladimir and then Vitali, then I can’t see Haye becoming any kind of star. Khan is speaking under the best case scenario for Haye, ignoring the fact that Haye is the underdog in the Klitschko fight and that Haye is also saying he’ll be retiring in October.

Even if Haye beats Wladimir, Haye will mess things up for himself by retiring before he ever gets a chance to fight Vitali. Haye has put it on Vitali, saying that if he wants the fight he’ll drop his September fight against Tomasz Adamek and fight him instead before October. That doesn’t sound like a fighter that’s too interested in facing Vitali, because it’s clear that Vitali won’t call off the Adamek fight.



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