I agree Haye will be more cautious than usual in his approach but this will mean he will be sitting there waiting to time his right hand, waiting and not working enough. Dipping in and out scoring points is all very well if you're used to that sort of style, but Haye has rarely had to give up so many physical advantages to be in a position where he has to box and move and avoid getting into a dogfight. (not that Haye has ever needed to be an 'inside fighter' as such - he usually has the power to end things at medium range).Captain Hook wrote:Riddick Blowe wrote:That's the thing - Valuev will catch him with something.Captain Hook wrote:Since when is Valuev the second coming of King Kong?!
Haye will box his head off over 12, unless he gets cocky and Valuev catches him with a clumping hook......
The guy is a freak - nothing more, nothing less.....
We're not talking about a chris byrd style pure boxer here, who can befuddle the rather cumbersome Valuev, we're talking David Haye - bombs away, big shots, all out offence, and crucially, little head or lateral movement. i would even say Haye is made for Valuev.
Valuev was confused by Oldyfield because evander showed decent movement. Plus holyfield always had toughness at the highest level and the pedestrian Valuev wasn't going to trouble him there. Haye is going to just stand off Valuev and try and time him, and in doing this he won't be an elusive target. He'll either get caught reaching in or just walked down and clobbered by something big and clumsy but damaging. If he doesn't get caught clean he will surely be just worn down by Valuev's presence. Haye's style isn't made for distance box-fighting, it's for big kayoes. He is a pure puncher, full stop. If he can't get his man out of there, he's in trouble, unless his opponent's power can't trouble him - but this won't be the case at heavyweight. I think Valuev can take it and dish some out himself.
We all know about Haye's deficiencies and it won't take a King Kong to stop him up at heavyweight.
Yes, we all know about his deficiencies, but I don't think he's going to go in all guns blazing v Valuev. He won't try and knock him out, unlike most of his previous fights where he's looked to finish it early.
I hope he uses his superior skill and speed and dips in and out scoring points. I think that's what he'll do.
Sure he is going to take some along the way but Valuev is hardly Tyson is he? He's bloody awful....
For a man his size I admit he has a half-decent skillset, but overall he is just a big lump. If you consider Lennox, Ali, Holmes and co as A+ fighters, Valuez is an F at best.
The jury's still out on Haye, but I won't be writing him off...
I just think everything will be alien for Haye in this one - the size, presence of Valuev, the crowd, the officials and promoters, the occasion in general. He is stepping into a foreign atmosphere where the general thoughts/betting patterns regarding Valuev are very different from those in the UK. The Germans will probably see this as just another defence for Valuev, albeit from an outspoken Brit who is destined to get his comeuppance. Whereas we in the UK are billing it as a chance for David to fell a rather limited Goliath. Everything being foreign for Haye may be enough to tip the balance if things do turn out to be too close to call. I personally can see Valuev coming out as he usually does, but quickly realising Haye can be hurt, and then taking him out. Haye has been down vs clubbing punchers like Mormeck before, and Valuev packs more than Mormeck, and will probably land easier. I don't envisage a situation where Haye goes down a couple of times but finds his way back into the fight - I'm not sure Valuev will tire and I don't think Haye can turn things around with one punch.
I hope I'm wrong, but if I'm not there is a very nice payday waiting for me.