By Eric Thomas: Trainer Emanuel Steward reportedly thought that former WBA heavyweight champion David Haye would fight aggressively against IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko and shoot for an early knockout like he had been talking about wanting to do.

Instead of coming out with both fists flying, Haye used the same fighting plan that he deployed against the big and slow Nikolay Valuev in 2009 by using constant movement mixed in with pot shots from the outside. In hindsight, it was the wrong plan to use against the much more mobile Wladimir. Haye and his trainer Adam Booth must have watched the wrong tape in getting ready for Wladimir because he’s the more mobile of the Klitschko brother.

Haye looked like a more powerful version of Chris Byrd against Wladimir. Haye spent most of the fight trying not to get hit and using a lot of upper body movement in order to not get hit by him. Haye flopped to the canvas many times in the fight when Wladimir would attempt to lean on him. At first, it seemed like a smart thing for Haye to do in order to keep from supporting Wladimir’s weight during their clinches, but after a while it looked like Haye was just playing to the referee in order to get points taken away from Wladimir.

Haye succeeded in having a point taken away from Wladimir early on in the 7th for pushing down on Haye, but the referee soon tired of Haye’s flopping and eventually counted one of his flops as a knockdown rather than just another flop on Haye’s part. Interestingly enough, Haye’s flopping stopped after the referee ruled his 11th round flop was a knockdown.