By Ted Sares – He [Valuev} can take a shot better than anyone that I’ve fought. –David Haye
What kind of example is he [Haye] setting for kids? It’s embarrassing and I cannot accept it. –Wlad Klitschko
…I will defend my title and calm Haye down. –Nikolay Valuev
The Haymaker – David Haye, a.k.a “The Haymaker,” is brash, cocky, and an incessant trash talker (he called Valuev “a big hairy freak,” “a circus act” and also said the champion “stinks.”). He fights with an explosive style and sledgehammer power, and possess a physique that Jeff Lacey would covet. As well, he is a legitimate knock out artist with 21 stoppages in his 22 fights. His only loss came against Carl “The Cat” Thompson in a closet classic fought back in 2004, but that was then and this is now..
The problem with Haye is that he doesn’t fight anywhere near often enough. Among his victims sine losing to “The Cat” have been Enzo Maccarinelli, Jean Marc Mormeck, Giacobbe Fragomeni, Alexander Gurov, and Glen Kelly. Indeed, his haymakers have been of the equal opportunity variety. Both he and the colossus fought Monte Barrett and both slaughtered Monte Barrett.
The “Haymaker” pretty well summed up what he has to do to beat the plodding Russian Giant, Nikolay Valuev, on November 7 in Nuremberg
“I’m going to have to fight better than I’ve fought before. I’m going to have to take a shot better than I’ve ever done before. I’m going to have to hit harder. My reflexes have got to be faster. I’ve got to be able to cover more distance, be quicker on my feet than I’ve ever been.”
The Beast
With a record of 52-1, Nikolay Valuev, a.k.a. “The Russian Giant” or Beast from the East,” is active enough. His problem, however, is that his plodding and ugly style makes watching paint dry a viable option.
A quiet and dignified person, he is point counterpoint to Haye. He is a patient, savvy, and strong fighter who is expert in not getting hit, and he has yet to be floored or knocked out in his 16-year professional career. Though over 7 feet tall and about 320 pounds in weight, the “Beast” is surprisingly quick, but even more surprisingly, he is a feather-fisted who uses his jab over and over and over.
The Logic
Now then, Valuev barley beat John Ruiz twice, and many say he didn’t really beat him in their last bout in 2008 in Berlin (where their first bout also was held). Many say Larry Donald clearly outpointed him in 2005 in Niedersachsen, Germany (the fight was a MD). Ruslan Chagaev DID beat him for the WBA World heavyweight title in 2007. This also was by MD. On December 20, 2008, The Giant squeaked by an aging Evander Holyfield again by an extremely controversial MD. Some called it one of the worst decisions ever in a heavyweight title fight. The one time legend outworked the befuddled colossus over 12 dreadfully boring rounds pot-shoting him more than enough to win an easy decision–at least in my view. Thus, he has 2 MD’S and one SD in his last 5 fights. The other two also went the limit against a worn Sergey Lyakhovich and limited and unknown Jean Francois Bergeron. Not exactly a testimonial to his power.
My feeling is that Haye, with his explosive speed and power would have decimated the geriatric Holyfield and easily beaten Ruiz, not to mention Lyakhovich and Bergeron.
In short, if Haye can theoretically wipe out a guy who arguably beat the “Beast” (i.e., Holyfield), why can he not beat the Beast? If he theoretically can handle guys who came this close to beating the “Beast,” why can’t he beat the “Beast?”
The Outcome
Haye punches with explosive power, speed, and sharp accuracy. He also is willing to force the action. Against this monster, he will need to make his punches count without taking too many himself.
If the smaller yet faster “Haymaker” bring his explosiveness against an opponent to whom he will be giving away 9 inches in height and about 100 pounds in weight, he should have the perfect combination of skills, speed, and power to frustrate the bigger and taller champion and win a decision. However, he must avoid clinches because the Russian uses them to his advantage to tire out his opponents, and he must pick his shots carefully and accurately by getting in and out quickly. Haye has knocked out 21 of his 23 opponents, but, all things considered, knocking out the Giant doesn’t seem as logical as decisioning him.