Schaefer: David Haye needs to fight Arreola and Adamek in the U.S and then Vitali Klitschko

By Boxing News - 07/05/2011 - Comments

Image: Schaefer: David Haye needs to fight Arreola and Adamek in the U.S and then Vitali KlitschkoBy William Mackay: Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, believes that former WBA heavyweight champion David Haye (25-2, 23 KO’s) needs to come to the United States and remake his career there rather than staying in the UK. Schaefer, who was disappointed by Haye’s losing performance against IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko last weekend, would like for Haye to come to American and fight a couple of fights against Tomasz Adamek and Chris Arreola before taking on one of the Klitschko brothers again.

Schaefer thinks that Haye made a mistake in taking on Wladimir rather than Vitali Klitschko., Schaefer saw Wladimir as the more athletic, more mobile of the two Klitschko brothers and told Haye before the Wladimir fight that he should take on Vitali and not Wladimir. However, Haye and his trainer/manager Adam Booth instead went with Wladimir, perhaps thinking he was going to be more vulnerable because of his reputation for having a weaker chin than his brother Vitali. But as it turned out, Haye might have been better off having fought the slower, more stationary Vitali as Schaefer originally suggested.

Schaefer said this to Sky Sports News: “I was surprised at how negative he [Haye] was, but maybe it was the people around him who were negative as well and that filtered down to the fighter. I’ve read he wants to retire, but if I was him I’d go for a couple of fights in the U.S against guys like Chris Arreola or Tomasz Adamek. He should get a couple of wins and then give it another go.”

“David’s strength is his athleticism, movement and speed. That would be magnified against Vitali, because Vitali is so mechanical.”

I don’t see Haye doing well against Vitali. It would be like matching a Vitali up against a lighter, more fragile-chinned version of Odlanier Solis and Vitali would make quick work of Haye. It might take a while for Vitali to catch up to Haye if he fought scared like he did against Wladimir, but sooner or later Vitali would get near enough to land something big.

Haye could make a career out of fighting the smaller heavyweights in the U.S. and on the world level. As long as you match Haye selectively, he’ll do okay. Haye looked superb when he was being matched against 38-year-old heavyweights for the past three years, but when they put him in with Wladimir it was ridiculous how much better Wladimir was compared to Haye.



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