Matthew Hurley: Promoter Frank Warren issued an official complaint with the British Boxing Board of Control over WBA and WBC cruiserweight champion David Haye’s late showing at a scheduled final head-to-head press conference with WBO champion Enzo Maccarinelli at London’s O2 Arena. The two are scheduled to unify the titles Sunday morning at 2 am London time. Haye, who did most of his training in Florida, arrived for the press conference nearly two hours late but the starting time had been moved up by ninety minutes without Haye’s approval – or so he says. Maccarinelli had already left by the time Haye showed up..
Haye, who as of late has been providing enough negative sound-bites about Maccarinelli’s chances against him to fill a reporter’s entire notebook, claims that Enzo’s camp and Warren are colluding against him.
“We agreed last week that the press conference was at 2 pm,” he told Sky Sports. “Even that would have cut down my sleep a bit, but for some mysterious reason it got pushed up even earlier. But I was expecting these sort of tactics. Nobody’s interrupting my sleep and that’s all that matters. It shows to me the mindset of their side that they are trying to cut into my sleep time.”
Haye went on to add that he feels Enzo and Warren are worried because they had assumed the London based fighter was having trouble making weight, which he insists is not true.
“The rumors (now) are that my weight isn’t as bad as it was in the past, so maybe its jitters on their side. They need every advantage they can get and are trying every trick in the book. On my side there are no probems.”
In a statement on Warren’s website, FrankWarren.TV the promoter remains livid at what he perceives to be a disrespectful fighter.
“He should show some respect, not only to the promotion, but to Enzo Maccarinelli as well, who is going to be in the ring at the same time as him. I don’t understand why everything has to be a conspiracy theory. Why David changed gyms the whole time in the States, why he wouldn’t tell anyone when he was flying back.”
Warren acknowledged moving the press conference up but says that he did so to accommodate a live television broadcast and that it would simply help the promotion which in turn would help both fighters. But Haye, apparently, refused to get out of bed.
“He says he is sleeping,” Warren said incredulously. “I hope he sleeps well because on Saturday night he is going to have a nightmare. I’ve never seen Enzo looking so focused.”
The Haye – Maccarinelli cruiserweight unification bout will be broadcast on Setanta Sports Network in London at 2 am Sunday morning and on Showtime in the United States at 9 pm Saturday night.