By James Slater: Now in Germany and proclaiming how he is in perfect shape and unable to wait for Saturday night’s massive fight with Wladimir Klitschko, WBA champ David Haye was as boisterous and as cocky as ever today. Speaking at the final press conference before the unification battle, Haye looked utterly relaxed as he gave his final predictions.
“It’s good that Wladimir has been studying tapes of my fights,” Haye said. “It makes me happy that he has watched all of my previous fights – because come fight night, you’re gonna see something completely different. It’s going to be fun watching this big robot malfunction. I’m so happy this fight is happening now instead of two years ago because I’m a much better fighter now.
Adam Booth and myself, we have constructed what I believe will be the perfect game-plan to beat Wladimir. He hasn’t really changed since the amateurs quite honestly. He can’t flow, he can’t adapt, like I can. That will make the massive difference real, real early in this fight.”
Haye made his boasts in front of a respectfully quite audience, and then Wladimir’s big brother Vitali had an interesting question for the ultra-confident Londoner. After having listened to what the WBA champ said he would do to his younger brother, the WBC king asked Haye to promise in front of the gathered journalists that he would turn up at the post-fight press conference on Saturday.
“Please, promise you’ll come to the press conference after the fight,” Vitali said, smiling.
Haye said that he would be there, and he added that he hopes Vitali will be there.
“I’m coming for you after,” Haye said. “Make sure you’re there. Don’t go to the hospital with your brother. Don’t go with the ambulance.”
The question on the lips of all fight fans is whether or not Haye, if he wins on Saturday, will stick around long enough to get a fight on with Vitali. If Wladimir loses on Saturday, you can bet your life “Dr. Iron Fist” will have a unimaginably huge desire to get Haye into the ring and exact revenge, thus restoring the Klitschko name. It’s a big if that Haye will win, at least in the opinion of many good judges, but it sure could happen. And how enormous would a Vitali-Haye “revenge” fight be!
Wladimir, after patiently waiting for Haye to turn up to the podium today, smiled with complete confidence himself. Referring to Haye as a “princess” who he was happy to wait for, Wladimir then promised to teach his rival a lesson in manners in the ring.
Both guys have clearly done their pre-fight work, both look in magnificent shape and ready to go. And now, finally, we are just five days way from the biggest heavyweight title fight in almost a decade.