Great Article on why Haye v Harrison is a great match up.
Posted: 11 Nov 2010, 09:12
On Saturday in Manchester, David Haye defends his WBA title against Audley Harrison. It will be the highest grossing prizefight ever held on these shores. The arena is sold out, the nation is talking and the cameras are ready to roll. And a lot of boxing fans aren't happy about it.
The charges are that Haye is ducking the Klitschko brothers, that the Harrison fight is a mismatch being foisted on a gullible public, and that Haye is devaluing the great traditions of heavyweight boxing. Above all, it is said, Haye-Harrison is bad for boxing.
The critics could not be more wrong. They think boxing's decline can be abated just by matching good fighters in tough, competitive fights. No: Haye-Harrison is exactly what British boxing needs.
In 2007 Haye journeyed to France to fight Jean-Marc Mormeck, the man recognised as the world's best cruiserweight, in his back yard. Fewer than 4,000 people were in attendance and the British public didn't give a damn when Haye triumphed against the odds.
Carl Froch still labours in that kind of obscurity due to inept matchmaking and promotion. Froch challenges Arthur Abraham this month, his fifth world-class opponent in a row.
Despite such hardiness, the Lace City Cobra has not boosted the sport's standing one jot. And yet his is the career path many wish upon Haye. Do they want the sport to fade away?
Since 2007 Haye has worked incredibly hard, in and out of the ring, to raise his profile. He has become the standard-bearer for British boxing and in fighting Audley Harrison he is having more success than ever in drawing exposure to a sport so starved of the spotlight.
Audley Harrison is a brilliant choice of opponent because boxing is more than two men exchanging blows. Boxing is showbusiness. Sporting interest in a competitive fight attracts the faithful but human interest stories attract millions. Boxing thrives on spectacle, personality and intrigue.
In the pre-fight hype alone, the big-talking 'A-Force' has provided more entertainment than many heavyweight contenders have in their careers. Haye could fight the likes of Tomasz Adamek and Eddie Chambers and he would beat them but what would be the point? Nobody has heard of those guys. They're dull.
There is something deeply fascinating about Harrison, a man who has convinced himself he is the lead character in a redemption story; come Saturday he may discover he is a peripheral character in the video nasty that is David Haye's Highlight Reel.
Like so many fights, Haye-Harrison is being sold on a big 'What if?' What if Audley Harrison connects with his left hand - the punch they call the equaliser? Lights Out. Bulbs flash. New champ. Pandemonium. It would be the boxing story of the year.
Yes, that is an unlikely scenario. It is likely that Haye knocks Harrison out early. So the public finally tunes in to a boxing match only to be disappointed by a quick finale, right? Wrong.
Mike Tyson is not the highest earning boxer ever because the public dislikes early KOs. Nobody paid to see Tyson fight Carl Williams or Tony Tubbs because they thought they would see a competitive boxing match. But paid they did.
Haye will earn in excess of £5m fighting Harrison. Obscene, you say. But it's good for boxing. What happens when athletic kids learn they can make £5m... for fighting Audley Harrison? There comes the next generation.
Okay then, the Klitschkos; Haye will fight a Klitschko brother, probably in 2011, maybe in 2012, but it will happen. Such a wait is nothing new. Be patient.
After Evander Holyfield defeated Mike Tyson in 1996 it was clear that Holyfield and Lennox Lewis were the world's best heavyweights. They didn't fight until 1999, and all because boxing is business.
The Klitschkos have made good money fighting overmatched opponents for years but are making a stink at Haye doing the same now. The truth is that the Ukrainian brothers need Haye more than he needs them.
Vitali and Wladimir have never beaten any top-level opponents and they want to fight Haye to secure some sort of legacy. Well, if they want him immediately, they must make him an offer he can't refuse. And when Haye is making £5m-plus against Harrison, that offer needs to be serious money.
Haye has earned the right to maximise his income. He took risky fights overseas to defeat first Mormeck and then "Sugar" Nikolai Valuev for world titles and is only now making the big money his hard work deserves.
Anyone who claims they wouldn't make the same sensible financial choices as Haye in his position is either an idiot or a liar.
And, in making the choice to fight Harrison, Haye is only following in the tradition of heavyweight champions, not breaking it. Boxing has always been business.
Jack Dempsey defended his title just four times between 1921 and 1926 whilst raking it in through endorsements and Hollywood movies.
Floyd Patterson and Ingemar Johansson both fought only once a year in 1959, 1960 and 1961 and every time against each other for the world title. This was because of the then crippling marginal tax rate in the US.
The wilful naivety adopted by the naysayers as to the nature of the fight game is tedious in the extreme.
Boxing is business. Haye-Harrison is good business. And good business is great for British boxing.
The charges are that Haye is ducking the Klitschko brothers, that the Harrison fight is a mismatch being foisted on a gullible public, and that Haye is devaluing the great traditions of heavyweight boxing. Above all, it is said, Haye-Harrison is bad for boxing.
The critics could not be more wrong. They think boxing's decline can be abated just by matching good fighters in tough, competitive fights. No: Haye-Harrison is exactly what British boxing needs.
In 2007 Haye journeyed to France to fight Jean-Marc Mormeck, the man recognised as the world's best cruiserweight, in his back yard. Fewer than 4,000 people were in attendance and the British public didn't give a damn when Haye triumphed against the odds.
Carl Froch still labours in that kind of obscurity due to inept matchmaking and promotion. Froch challenges Arthur Abraham this month, his fifth world-class opponent in a row.
Despite such hardiness, the Lace City Cobra has not boosted the sport's standing one jot. And yet his is the career path many wish upon Haye. Do they want the sport to fade away?
Since 2007 Haye has worked incredibly hard, in and out of the ring, to raise his profile. He has become the standard-bearer for British boxing and in fighting Audley Harrison he is having more success than ever in drawing exposure to a sport so starved of the spotlight.
Audley Harrison is a brilliant choice of opponent because boxing is more than two men exchanging blows. Boxing is showbusiness. Sporting interest in a competitive fight attracts the faithful but human interest stories attract millions. Boxing thrives on spectacle, personality and intrigue.
In the pre-fight hype alone, the big-talking 'A-Force' has provided more entertainment than many heavyweight contenders have in their careers. Haye could fight the likes of Tomasz Adamek and Eddie Chambers and he would beat them but what would be the point? Nobody has heard of those guys. They're dull.
There is something deeply fascinating about Harrison, a man who has convinced himself he is the lead character in a redemption story; come Saturday he may discover he is a peripheral character in the video nasty that is David Haye's Highlight Reel.
Like so many fights, Haye-Harrison is being sold on a big 'What if?' What if Audley Harrison connects with his left hand - the punch they call the equaliser? Lights Out. Bulbs flash. New champ. Pandemonium. It would be the boxing story of the year.
Yes, that is an unlikely scenario. It is likely that Haye knocks Harrison out early. So the public finally tunes in to a boxing match only to be disappointed by a quick finale, right? Wrong.
Mike Tyson is not the highest earning boxer ever because the public dislikes early KOs. Nobody paid to see Tyson fight Carl Williams or Tony Tubbs because they thought they would see a competitive boxing match. But paid they did.
Haye will earn in excess of £5m fighting Harrison. Obscene, you say. But it's good for boxing. What happens when athletic kids learn they can make £5m... for fighting Audley Harrison? There comes the next generation.
Okay then, the Klitschkos; Haye will fight a Klitschko brother, probably in 2011, maybe in 2012, but it will happen. Such a wait is nothing new. Be patient.
After Evander Holyfield defeated Mike Tyson in 1996 it was clear that Holyfield and Lennox Lewis were the world's best heavyweights. They didn't fight until 1999, and all because boxing is business.
The Klitschkos have made good money fighting overmatched opponents for years but are making a stink at Haye doing the same now. The truth is that the Ukrainian brothers need Haye more than he needs them.
Vitali and Wladimir have never beaten any top-level opponents and they want to fight Haye to secure some sort of legacy. Well, if they want him immediately, they must make him an offer he can't refuse. And when Haye is making £5m-plus against Harrison, that offer needs to be serious money.
Haye has earned the right to maximise his income. He took risky fights overseas to defeat first Mormeck and then "Sugar" Nikolai Valuev for world titles and is only now making the big money his hard work deserves.
Anyone who claims they wouldn't make the same sensible financial choices as Haye in his position is either an idiot or a liar.
And, in making the choice to fight Harrison, Haye is only following in the tradition of heavyweight champions, not breaking it. Boxing has always been business.
Jack Dempsey defended his title just four times between 1921 and 1926 whilst raking it in through endorsements and Hollywood movies.
Floyd Patterson and Ingemar Johansson both fought only once a year in 1959, 1960 and 1961 and every time against each other for the world title. This was because of the then crippling marginal tax rate in the US.
The wilful naivety adopted by the naysayers as to the nature of the fight game is tedious in the extreme.
Boxing is business. Haye-Harrison is good business. And good business is great for British boxing.
