Eraserhead wrote:Ask yourselves this. Would David Haye have been taken the distance by... Derrick McCafferty, Mark Krence, Dominic Negus, Ratko Drasovic, Julius Francis, Dominic Guinn, Danny Williams, George Arias and Martin Rogan?
Nothing in boxing is as straight-forward as that. For a start, you have to consider career stage. Of course those guys wouldn't last with the current Haye, but Krence vs a 4-0 (as Harrison was) Haye? Or Negus against a 5-0 Haye? Quite possibly, or even probably.
McCafferty and Francis were known survivors. Possibly Haye could have stopped them, but it wouldn't have been a certainty. Don't forget, even Herbie Hide, who we'd probably put in a similar bracket to Haye in terms of power, took seven rounds to stop McCafferty, who finished on his feet. If that was a six-rounder (as Harrison's fight with McCafferty was), then Hide too would have had to settle for a decision.
Also against Francis, as well as Draskovic, Harrison deliberately went the distance for the purpose of testing himself in what were uncharted distances for him at the time.
And also consider the styles. Even if Haye could stop most/all of those guys, the way he fights would have a lot to do with it. Harrison is often overly cautious. Not that I'm excusing him for that, but obviously there have been times he could have scored a stoppage, but didn't.