By Vivek Wallace: With many stories in the world of boxing fighting for headline space, there seems to be one in particular that has quite a few people buzzin’. When one gets beyond the drama unfolding in the welterweight quest to land P4P king Manny Pacquiao in the ring, the attention of the sport almost unequivocally shifts to the once gone, now strong heavyweight division. With two of the most recognized champs in the division preparing for battle in separate matches, sudden cancellations forced the spotlight to their contenders instead. One (Chagaev) for re-birthing a very old trend of mysteriously backing out, and the other (David Haye) for reasons which still appear unknown. Within his short tenure in the heavyweight division, Haye has managed to perform the indelible task of both commanding the attention of fight fans – while almost simultaneously losing it. Despite the emergence of guys like Chris Arreola, and a few others, it’s the one who speaks the most who remains the one who has done the least. Few since the days of “Iron” Mike Tyson have come to the heavyweight ranks toting an assembled bag of assets containing everything from speed, to power, to footwork, and beyond. Many critics question the durability of his chin, but on a grand scale, that’s one of the few things about Haye that remains in question….or is it?
That question all depends on who you ask. Ask many, and in an eager fashion they’ll respond by stating that there are far more concerns to be met in the world of David Haye than conclusions. For starters…..He looks the part and plays it well, but the argument that most fight fans have with him is that anyone can perform at a dress-rehearsal. When the spotlight shines and a group of popcorn eating, beer guzzling, fans and fame’s sit ringside to see the big show….can he deliver? We’ve seen him do it against lesser competition, but on the biggest stage of the sport in a division that practically carried it for quite some time, will the load of being a successor to Lewis, Holyfield, Tyson, and Ali become too much weight for one brain to take? Or will he have the intestinal fortitude to rise to the occasion and develop his own persuasion? As you journey through the archives and look at old fight footage as he made his way up the cruiserweight ranks, few can deny his talents. When he stood toe to toe against the best the division had to offer, he delivered. Carl Thompson found the formula to lay him down, but with perfection there’s little room for progress. He lost the fight and he rebounded. What more can we ask, right? Well, maybe not so fast.
Another major question for Haye comes down to his level of experience. In the Pavlik/Hopkins fight, and more recently the Angulo/Cintron showdown, many were reminded yet again that there’s no better teacher than experience, and unfortunately, experience only arrives the moment after you needed it! Of all the articles skimming the airwaves, I’ve yet to locate one scribe in the large world of boxing to allude to the fact that Haye enters the ring against the most accomplished boxer on his (new) level having only fought 78 rounds as a pro, and only three times beyond the 7th round. All that compared to a man who has a few questions to answer himself, yet he does come equipped with 243 rounds and 55 fights, many in which were title fights. So now that we’re forced to have this untimely pause while Haye heals his hand, back, or whatever else has been reported BUT UNCONFIRMED, I guess all we can do analyze what never was and what could have been, rather than what is. In an odd parallel to what never was and what could have been, I point to the English language….A fragment is viewed as an incomplete statement, and a statement is viewed as a complete sentence, punctuation included. As it relates to David Haye, his mission remains a fragment, and his mission has failed to create a punctuation. So, appearing incomplete without a punctuation, it’s safe to say he’s all questions until he makes a statement. Am I making any sense yet ladies and gents?
(Contact Vivek Wallace at: vivexemail@yahoo.com, 954-292-7346, or Facebook and Myspace)