Matthew Hurley, photo by Tom Casino/Showtime: In the aftermath of his second round destruction of Enzo Maccarinelli at the O2 Arena in London the newly unified cruiserweight champion made his intentions for the future clear. With former cruiserweight and heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield sitting at ringside Haye battered Maccarinelli against the corner ring-post before sending him to the canvas. The Welsh fighter regained his footing but after a standing eight count referee John Keane waved the fight over. Haye then let it be known that he intends to emulate Holyfield and campaign as a heavyweight.
“The ‘Hayemaker’ doesn’t lie,” he said after the most emphatic victory of his career. “It’s nice to know this division is cleaned up now. (So) it’s time to move up to the heavyweights and put a bit more life into that division..”
Earlier in the week during a conference call Haye had spoken derisively of what he calls a weak heavyweight division, saving his most caustic remarks for current IBF and WBO title-holder Wladimir Klitschko.
“You’ve got all these Russian pretenders,” he said mockingly. “These guys ain’t got no rhythm, no timing, no speed. They’re big and clumsy. Look at Klitschko the other night. It was an embarrassment to boxing what he did. He should be stripped of his title just for that performance alone. It was a disgrace and I can’t wait to go up and knock that bum out.”
Haye was referring to Klitschko’s disappointing unification match with Sultan Ibragimov at Madison Square Garden on February 23rd. Klitschko won by a wide unanimous decision.
The fighter went on to add that he would bring his vaunted speed and power, and somewhat questionable chin, to the flagship division and clean up what he sees as an inappropriate mess.
“Cruiserweight is just a stop off,” he said. “It’s just a way of doing something historical. I’m going to go up and unify the heavyweight division. That has always been my ambition.”
As for the chink in his armor that is his chin Haye concedes that it adds another dimension to the drama he brings to the ring.
“People say I’ve got no stamina and no chin but that is what brought so many of them here tonight; that element of the unknown. People are not one hundred percent sure I’m that good. So there is a little nag at the back of their mind that I might go over from a shot so it makes it more exciting for them.”
Haye’s next ring appearance may not come until November against a top-ten ranked heavyweight. His team acknowledged that he’s much more comfortable at around two hundred and twenty pounds and that making the two hundred pound cruiserweight limit has been an ongoing struggle. The exciting fighter with the mouth that packs nearly as much wallop as his punch should bring a fiery excitement to a too often dreary division.