By James Slater: Many fans say David Haye, the WBA heavyweight champion who dreams of unifying the belts, will need all the help he can get in his attempt at defeating Ring magazine, IBF, IBO, WBO king Wladimir Klitschko. Well, it has been revealed how “The Hayemaker” has indeed been given some additional help as he trains for the big July 2nd bout. Legendary trainer Angelo Dundee no less, has been giving Haye hints and tips on how to upset “Dr. Steel Hammer.” And Haye says Muhammad Ali’s former trainer “still knows his stuff” when it comes to the Sweet Science.
Dundee is almost 90-years-old today, but he has more knowledge than many younger trainers combined. Will this experience and knowledge help Haye to victory in the summer? Haye has gone on record as saying his game-plan, already a good one before he spoke with Dundee, is now even better.
Currently training out at The 5th Street in Miami, Haye spoke with supersport.com.
“He came by yesterday and we had a good chat. He still knows his stuff,” Haye said yesterday while on the subject of Angelo. “He was giving me some good advice, some tactics to implement when I get into the ring. I had a great game-plan before, but Angelo’s tweaked it.”
Haye didn’t go into detail when speaking of the advice and the particular tips Sugar Ray Leonard’s former trainer gave him, but he did say his speed and power will be the assets he will be looking to use to get the win on July 2nd in Hamburg.
“I’ve got very quick feet and quick head movement,” Haye stated. “And my punches are very rapid. I have the type of speed he [Wladimir] will not have encountered as a professional. I’ve been working on my speed. I feel light and my punches are freakishly hard. I’ve always been able to knock people out with either hand, so if I catch him at any time, he’s going to sleep.”
But will Haye, as fast as he is, be able to catch the bigger, taller Klitschko? The answer to this question may well decide the outcome of the fight. Wladimir, with his perfectly executed game-plans ands his awesome, hard to get past left jab, has seen to it that hardly a punch has connected on him in his recent fights – he is that good, capable fighters have been reduced to veritable punching-bags.
Haye says he is feeling “light,” and it will be interesting to see what weight he tips-in at when the official weigh-in rolls around. Never a big heavyweight, the 30-year-old has weighed as little as 210.5” for a heavyweight fight. That was against Audley Harrison, and Haye said he came in that low because he wanted to concentrate on his speed against the bigger man. Maybe Haye will come in at a similar weight for the Klitschko fight?
Haye is definitely faster than Klitschko; but can he be as punishingly accurate as the world’s number-one?