bennie wrote:Bring it on! That's the message from David Haye and the seriously shrewd Adam Booth as they loom closer to a unification showdown with the younger of the two Klitschko sisters, Wladimir, possibly as close as July this year, and an exact date of July 2 has been bandied about, possibly in Germany.
Haye and Klitschko nearly squared off in Germany in the summer of 2009, with Haye a heavyweight novice, but Haye twigged his back in training and that let in Uzbekistani southpaw Ruslan Chagaev, who could barely move himself after a complete tear of his Achilles tendon a little earlier, and Chagaev stood there and took it for nine bloody, one-sided rounds until his corner belatedly said "no mas." A few months later, also in Germany, Haye showed good movement to outscore Russian mammoth Nikolai Valuev to wrest the WBA heavyweight title, so he did exactly the right thing in pulling out and it wasn't his time, anyway, his time to potentially topple Klitschko.
Boxing is still all about timing, and Britain's "Hayemaker" and a Pole by the name of Tomasz Adamek are creeping up on Klitschko after 15 pro years on the Klitschko clock (and 58 fights). Klitschko was to defend his IBF and WBO heavyweight belts against Adamek in Poland in September - the deal was done, they said - but maybe a tricky 'away' assignment against a fine boxer with a fine chin but with no world belt persuaded the huge Klitschko to accept Haye instead, who wears the WBA belt of course and a 'chinny' label after Carl Thompson stopped him in five rounds in their cruiserweight days in 2004 when Haye was still learning (and still growing).
Klitschko obviously feels he can do the same to the smaller Haye and what he's done to dozens of other heavyweights in a 'nothing' era for the division for many, many years. On this note, Wladimir defends his belts in April in Germany against Britain's Dereck Chisora (ironically), a 14-fight pro who has never even topped a bill here. Say no more.
Nevertheless, in the ring, Klitschko is clinical, clever, mature, strong, superbly conditioned, brilliantly trained and extremely heavy handed. Outside of it, he also lives the life, so at 34, four years older than Haye, he is not worn out and, at an impressive 55-3 (49), has not lost since he ran out of steam against "Relentless" Lamon Brewster in the States in April 2004 and was stopped in five rounds. He fought Brewster again a few years later, by which time his stamina was no longer in question, if not his chin, and banged him up in six unpleasant rounds.
As for that chin, Wladimir is definitely more vulnerable than Vitali, which makes him much the better choice for the quick, dynamic Haye at this stage of Haye's heavyweight development, and we should not forget that the charismatic Londoner has boxed only five times at the weight (all wins, four early, and he's scored 13 knockdowns). If nothing else, Haye stands a puncher's chance, a serious puncher's chance, against Wladimir, particularly in the early rounds when Wlad is warming into a rhythm, and he needs to box to a rhythm, so if Haye can rush him, take him out of his stride and nail him, we could have ourselves a sensational heavyweight. Speed and power are the keys to a Haye victory here; I cannot see him outboxing Wlad.
Ultimately, Wladimir Klitschko is no Audley Harrison, who folded in three rounds against Haye in November. A win over the Ukrainian giant is a big, big ask of Haye.
It won't take much to beat Klitschko, one good shot and he'll fold like a big dog.
Hope that Haye gets the opportunity to throw that bomb and he lands it.
The bully factor is very much a part the game of Eastern European heavyweights, they don't bring much else besides a large frame into the action.
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