By James Slater: The weights are in for what is being called the biggest and most exciting heavyweight title fight in almost a decade. Not long ago in Hamburg, Germany, rival heavyweight champions Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye climbed onto the scales, and as expected both men looked in absolutely superb physical condition.
35-year-old Klitschko, the Ring Magazine, IBF, WBO and IBO king, tipped in at a ready 242.6-pounds, while Haye, the WBA ruler, came in at a ripped 212.8-pounds. Both men came in at a lower weight than they scaled for their last fight, and Haye’s weight is his second lowest as a heavyweight. Haye fans made a lot of noise in support of “The Hayemaker” – with the usual “who are you? who are you?” chants being heard. The two fighters then had yet another face-to-face. Haye spoke to Sky Sports and he said he was happhy with his weight and that he will be looking to “take this guy out quickly.”
Neither guy was ever going to cut any corners in training, and their great condition is no surprise. But can we make any guesses about the fighting styles the two me will adopt based on their weight? At a svelte 212, Haye can probably be expected to use a lot of movement, as he gets in and out against the slower-footed “Dr. Steel Hammer.”
But Klitschko, who weighed five pounds more for his September 2010 fight with Samuel Peter, can be expected to be pretty fast himself. Looking at Klitschko’s open workout the other day, the speed with which he was firing out his left jab was most impressive. With no excess weight to speak of, Wladimir can be expected to fire out a lot of sizzling combinations; his thunderous right hand perhaps landing even quicker than usual.
Some fans envisage a short and sweet fight, with a violent ending one way or the other. Some fight fans are expecting a long, chess-match type affair. Now, with all the pre-fight protocol done and dusted, and with both guys having no further time in which to work out a fight strategy, the fight itself is tantalisingly close.
Finally, the fight many fans said would never happen is upon us!