Haye We Go

After waiting a near three years for the fight to happen, Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye finally got it on. I think Mills Lane the former world famous referee might have said better, but I gave it a go anyway. Now personally I began to have major doubts if this heavyweight bout was ever going to happen. What seemed to be unattainable demands, arguments and counter arguments, whilst sounding out that the other fighter does not want to compete, we eventually got a heavyweight contest worth talking about and the two men in the ring at long last. So with that, let get straight down to business and pick the bones out of the Hamburg event.

First of all it was good to see heavyweight boxing back in the big time, and thrust into the public’s consciousness. For years now the heavyweight division has been dormant. If you asked the average man on the street who the current dominate fighter in this field was, many might have drawn a blank look. Or even still claim Lennox Lewis as the current king despite retiring almost eight years ago, such has been the lacklustre interest of the division to the board public, and its crown jewel status within the sport. Unfortunately for them or perhaps because of them, the reigns of the Klitschko brothers has overlapped within this era. So as a starting point, I want to give credit to David Haye despite all the negative fallout he has received after last Saturday’s fight.  

Establishing himself as the ruler of the cruiserweight kingdom in 2008, Haye showed ambition in wanting to follow Evander Holyfield’s path, and become a key force in the heavyweight scene after being World Cruiserweight Champion. Because of his aspirations to move up the weight category, it cannot be denied that Haye has helped illuminate the previously dying heavyweight scene. Without his step up, we would still be reduced to watching chunky unknown drones attempting to topple the Klitschko brothers, which quite frankly was a suitable for a cure for insomnia. Last Saturday night gave us a meaningful reason to watch a heavyweight fight, as boxing enthusiasts long looked forward to an encounter with the Bermondsey boxer and either one of the Klitschkos. We indeed got our wish, but perhaps this is where the credit stops for Britain’s David Haye.

Haye’s pre-fight antics, verbal tirades, and premeditated measures to antagonise Wladimir Klitschko may not have been to everybody’s liking. Personally, the trash talking between boxers is par for the course in boxing, and sometimes is quite funny to hear and watch. Haye following the classic mandatory ploy of one of the boxers taking ‘discussions’ too far to ensure their position as the pantomime villain, is just another feature we as fans have to endure whilst the boxers hype the fight up with supposedly genuine hatred. Let us not forget as well as being opponents, the fighters are also business men. Anybody in their right mind would want to be well numerated for their dangerous efforts. So can we really criticise Haye’s behaviour too much for this?

But what really sent me into a spin was the endless whining and whinging about nonsensical details regarding the structure of this fight, and from my perspective it largely and unnecessarily coming from David Haye’s and his camp. His delayed entrance to the ring and keeping the legendary former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis waiting, for what seemed to be a well choreographed and exciting entrance to the proceedings was nothing short of disrespectful.

Haye needlessly bringing Lewis as collateral damage into his persistent infantile antics as part of the fight's build-up was simply poor form. Additionally, keeping the fight fanatics waiting with many of them being British followers of David Haye after the long drawn negotiations finally ceased, and the showdown was due to transpire, seemed like the ‘Hayemaker’ was just shooting himself in the foot. Or perhaps was it his toe? Hmm…..

But Haye's actions might have been far more justified had he sealed the biggest win of his life, or at the very least showcased a great performance whatever the result. Especially of a man who has endlessly claimed that this fight would be his swansong before retiring in October. But unfortunately Haye did neither. Wildly throwing punches with no fluidity or composure was the all the best the now former WBA Champion mustered, to the watching public in over 140 countries.

But as disappointing as Haye was, Wladimir Klitschko showed why he has been lauded the king of the heavyweight ring, and proved it in becoming the undisputed champ. Based on a left jab coiled like spring to feel out Haye and keeping him at bay, Wladimir Klitschko executed the fundamentals of the sport of hit and don’t get hit in emphatic fashion. Perhaps as a boxer Klitschko is not as entertaining or dynamic as Lennox Lewis, but the Ukrainian’s game plan based on the jab and executing his tactics to a tee, was not to dissimilar to that of Lewis. Klitschko put on a show that was by far his best performance ever put together in the squared circle, and won with relative ease. 

Again you could conclude this is testament to Haye and the potential quality he could have posed to Klitschko, a task which the big Ukrainian has never really had to deal with in past bouts.  By the end of the night I conceded that Wladimir Klitschko was class act in the ring, to go along with his civil manner out of the ring before and after the fight.

Since the fight's conclusion, many have said Haye never had a puncher's chance, as in essence he is a cruiserweight mixing it in the land of the giants with the heavyweights. This is a notion I do not wholly believe. Haye certainly had the quality to win, but with a little less whinging and not getting caught up in histrionics, perhaps the fight would have been a little closer than the almost shut-out we saw in Hamburg. The key fact simply was Wladimir Klitschko performed better, and the right result ultimately occurred, end of story. It is not by accident that Wladimir Klitschko finds himself undefeated for almost seven years in a world where he is long thought of as the current best.   

But three aspects that really stood out for me from last Saturday night. Firstly, with Lennox Lewis part of the analysis team for the British coverage of the fight, his presence really emphasised how superior he was in his prime. As the years go by, more and more people recognise it by the way he is flanked by adoring fans that might previously have been lukewarm when he was active, particularly if you were of a British persuasive.

Secondly as Lewis was giving his methodical view, and speaking of the boxers in action, chiefly that of Wladimir Klitschko, you could see a glint in his eye. A thought bubble if you will, telling himself that these two fighters could not hold a candle to him even on his worst day, and would love to prove it despite being retired for eight years. Obviously I do not expect Lewis to make a shocking and unwise comeback, but when you were as good as him and only father time halting you in your tracks, you know he could have shown the young pups of today how it is done to. 

But the most telling point of the night was what should have been of a bout of super-fight status, and ordinarily such encounters of this nature are settled in the grandeur of the Las Vegas scene, this contest was staged in Hamburg. A solid but not spectacular setting for what arguably is the richest and most converted prize in all of sport, the unmistakable title of being heavyweight champion of the world. Instead, on the same night, it was the meteoric phenomenon of the mixed martial arts promotion of UFC and its 132 edition stealing the show, headlined by Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber in a Bantamweight Championship bout. 

Just for the record, for the UFC fans amongst you Dominick Cruz retained his Bantamweight title. But what does this say about the future of both the combat sports? Has UFC finally surpassed the historic sport of boxing? Are the long and confusing standoffs in making the big boxing matches happen, along with some of the unsavoury antics we see at times damaging the creditability of the sport, and turning away fans from boxing for good?