By Robert Jackson: From the T-shirt displaying the heads and decapitated bodies of the Klitschko Brother’s to his latest proclamation that Emanuel Steward would rather train him, the 30 year old former undisputed Cruiserweight Champion and current WBA heavyweight champ David Haye is pulling all of the stops before his match-up with younger brother Wladimir scheduled this coming Saturday.
In 2008 Haye intercepted Wladimir Klitschko in a London airport demanding a fight, following that up with 2009 press releases stating that “I would knock them out. I know what it takes to beat them. If they want their highest payday, they’ve got to come to me. They’re making nothing compared to what they can make by fighting me. They know that, and they don’t know how to handle it. They short circuit. I know that it bothers them,”.
To add insult to injury Haye agreed to and then withdrew from proposed fights with both brothers in 2009, enraging the scholarly heavyweights immensely. While still on the verbal attack, Haye made stinging remarks about a video message made by Wladimir urging Haye to fight him, branding the message “homoerotic”. Haye also seemed to irritate and unseat the normally calm Wladimir during HBO’s face-off hosted by Max Kellerman.
Haye’s psychological gestations can only be compared to that of one man – Cassius Clay who pulled all of the stops to rattle the seemingly invincible ex-con Sonny Liston in 1964, and in doing so won the heavyweight crown. Most gave Clay little chance of winning. Clay said that the only person anybody is afraid of is a crazy person, and Clay played the crazy roll to perfection. Haye’s strategy up to this point is 2nd only to Clay’s of 1964.
The two edged sword Haye has put himself in front of can cut either way, but to Haye’s credit Wladimir when pressured has wilted and not performed so gallantly. On the other hand Haye may be unleashing a monster capable of maiming or even killing him. From a layman’s point of view I see Haye’s prefight tactics working, Wladimir Klitschko is out of sorts and this may translate to an abbreviated ring performance that sees him losing his title. If Wladimir does lose the only question that need be answered is…will Manny Steward train Haye to fight big Brother Vitaly?