Richard Schaefer compares Haye to Ali
by SC on Nov 9, 2009 6:07 AM EST
in News Analysis
14 comments
Boxing promoters are (in)famous for their extreme hyperbole and exaggerations, but Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer has gone nuclear with this one. From the Mirror:
New world heavyweight king David Haye has been hailed as the greatest boxer since the legendary Muhammad Ali.
...
Golden Boy boss Richard Schaefer declared: "David is a boxing superstar. There are a lot of champions - but to be a superstar is another thing. For that you need that other ingredient - charisma.
"Lennox Lewis was a great champion, but he was not as charismatic as David Haye. Evander Holyfield was a great champion, but not as charismatic as David. Mike Tyson was a great champion, but he was a crazy guy. People watched because of the freak factor. So if you sit back and think when was the last champion like him, it really was Ali."
Head.desk. Head.desk.
- David Haye is not the king of the heavyweight division. The real world champion is Wladimir Klitschko. Haye is drastically behind Wladimir and brother Vitali in terms of resume and career achievements. A win over a paper "champion" like Valuev is not even close to enough. I know most media just throw the word "champion" around to every hump who gets hold of one of these trinkets, but come on. To believe Haye is the best heavyweight in the world is to be dangerously delusional.
- Lennox Lewis was a great champion. Evander Holyfield was a great champion. Mike Tyson was a great champion. David Haye has not proven to be a great champion at all. Again, not a shot at Haye -- it's just that he's not there yet, even if you believe he will be.
- Tyson was not simply a great champion and "a crazy guy." People were not buying Tyson as a freak show during his truly best years, they bought him because he was a ferocious specimen and a brilliant fighter; charismatic, exciting, vicious, and ultra talented.
- Furthermore, with this claim, Richard Schaefer shouldn't be calling anyone crazy.
It's not that I don't understand why Schaefer said it, it's that it really isn't going to make Haye any more marketable. "He's the most alluring champion since Ali!" just reeks of a desperate attempt to market the fighter more than it does actually sell anyone on him. Schaefer might as well be ambling around the thoroughfare of Deadwood offering us soap with a prize inside with this bit of promoting. It's ludicrous, dishonest and will probably make more people dislike Haye. If there's one thing I know boxing fans get their underoos in a twist over, it's the blatant hype jobs like this one.
The Mirror continued the unintentional comedy with this comment:
Modest WBA champ Haye was embarrassed by Schaefer's Ali comparison, but claims he can reign for years.
Ah, yes. Modest ol' David Haye. Haye would actually rank among the least modest major fighters in the sport today, probably, alongside Floyd Mayweather Jr., Zab Judah and Vic Darchinyan. But hey, at least he knows he's probably not Ali.
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first off, ‘new heavyweight king’ is typical of the Mirror, but you can forgive them the excitement seeing as the last one was a long time ago, had an accent and wasn’t really as loved as Bruno.
Secondly, I think the point he was making more was that Haye’s charisma makes him a superstar, rather than being a great champion. Its premature to say either, but he has the potential to be both.
Thirdly, the Mirror almost certainly made up the last part. They’re one of those tabloids that are…creative like that.
I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘’Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'’ (Bernard Hopkins)
by BrianBrock on Nov 9, 2009 6:58 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
They had a quote from Haye, too, where he basically said, “Well I don’t know about being Ali, but I think I can do alright.” The quote itself was mildly modest, but goodness gracious is that a rarity for him.
Bad Left Hook
"Well Howie, I think I'm going to stay outside and outjab him." -- Tex Cobb telling Howard Cosell how he would approach Larry Holmes
by SC on Nov 9, 2009 7:19 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I’ve been interviewed by them myself for fairly unimportant stuff and they are also rather selective with the truth. Nothing they write is worth giving a damn about really.
by Drunken cutman on Nov 9, 2009 9:01 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
It’s just a quote, guys. From Schaefer, not from Haye. From Schaefer, not made up. The Mirror was the first site I ran into that had it.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/boxing/article6908834.ece
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/boxing-news/2009/11/09/magnificent-david-haye-can-be-the-greatest-since-muhammad-ali-say-bosses-86908-21808117/
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/boxing/2720171/Hayes-just-like-Ali.html
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/sport/garethadavies/100003254/david-haye-the-new-muhammad-ali-what-a-load-of-lennox/
Bad Left Hook
"Well Howie, I think I'm going to stay outside and outjab him." -- Tex Cobb telling Howard Cosell how he would approach Larry Holmes
by SC on Nov 9, 2009 9:11 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
It was more the modesty bit which i found odd.
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Nov 9, 2009 9:23 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I didn't think the Schaefer quote was made up
I just didn’t know/think they had an actual quote from Haye though, which was my issue with the last line. That is rare for him, modesty….I think thats one of the rare glimpses we’ll get.
I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘’Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'’ (Bernard Hopkins)
by BrianBrock on Nov 9, 2009 9:34 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I would really like to smoke what Richard Schaefer is smoking. It must be good.
Check out my recent MMA drawings on my blog, drop a comment, or subscribe via RSS for updates http://www.scritchandscratch.com/blog/?tag=mma
by VeeisAnimated on Nov 9, 2009 8:51 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
He’s a refreshing breath in a pool full of dull HW’s.
Whether you like Tyson or hate him the man did have one thing and that was charisma. He wasn’t the laughing, joking type but he had a lot of character and some identified with it and others didn’t.
Boxing champions have never been a neutral colour they’ve always had a strong hue which seperated public opinion right down the middle.
If you look at the two most popular fighters in the world now both Mayweather and Pacman divide public opinion to the nth degree. You either love them or you hate them but there is little middleground in general.
Haye has that same ability to evoke strong feelings in boxing fans. The man has just had his first fight in the division and he’s already being put down like he’s a veteran of the division that should be unifying the belts in his next two fights or standing toe to toe and slugging it out with guys that weigh 100 pounds more than him.
In boxing when people hate you it generally means you are doing something right. A lot of the time the fighters that are most hated are those who defy the odds.
A year ago Pac was considered by most to be a good fighter but now his detractors can’t stomach him. Boxing fans can’t ever be wrong and when they are wrong they save face by making excuses and developing an agenda.
After Pac defeated DLH so many of those boxing fans had egg on their face they developed an agenda against him because they were butthurt their infinite wisdom made them look like an infitely incapable moron.
Haye has got a future ahead of him because people are dying to see him fail and in this sport that means you are doing something wrong.
Personally I see Haye as the new RJJ. People were just dying to see RJJJ get knocked out for years because he proved everybody wrong again and again.
by MannyPacquiao on Nov 9, 2009 9:26 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
A year ago Pac was considered by most to be a good fighter but now his detractors can’t stomach him. Boxing fans can’t ever be wrong and when they are wrong they save face by making excuses and developing an agenda.
Seriously, is there anything you can’t make a pacman reference to?
After Pac defeated DLH so many of those boxing fans had egg on their face they developed an agenda against him because they were butthurt their infinite wisdom made them look like an infitely incapable moron.
Anyone who thinks that Pac’s win over De La Hoya was better than his wins over Barrera, Marquez Morales, or even Larios and Hatton is actually doing Pacquiao a great disservice. That win may be his most famous but it is far from his best.
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Nov 9, 2009 3:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
A year ago Pac was considered by most to be a good fighter but now his detractors can’t stomach him. Boxing fans can’t ever be wrong and when they are wrong they save face by making excuses and developing an agenda.
What planet of boxing fans were you living on? Pacquiao was considered the P4P best fighter in the world by anyone with a clue once Floyd retired. But sure, Oscar was in great shape that night and Manny Pacquiao saved Christmas. Jesus fucking Christ already.
Bad Left Hook
"Well Howie, I think I'm going to stay outside and outjab him." -- Tex Cobb telling Howard Cosell how he would approach Larry Holmes
by SC on Nov 9, 2009 7:20 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Seems like he is saying
that Haye is the only heavy weight since Ali to have charisma. Still way off on that.
"I guess I can’t do anything if you’re just irrational, but to point it out and move on."
- fundamentallysound
by J Theory on Nov 9, 2009 9:26 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
David Haye is the most Ali-like HW boxer...
…to ever win an alphabet strap off a pseudo-champion after ducking the real kings of the division after calling them out with little to no class.
Yes! Yes! In the face!
by LeafHawk on Nov 9, 2009 2:25 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
He didn’t even have the stones to go after Valuev when he was doing the Judah, er, I mean “chicken” dance. Not only is he not a HW champion, he’s really not even that impressive as a boxing entertainer.
Boxing writer: "Iran, what are you going to do when you retire?"
Iran Barkley: "Rob your house"
by Matt Miller on Nov 9, 2009 5:37 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Schaefer, PLEASE!!!
This guy must be crazy. Ali is in his own lane when it comes to the comparison of fighters Haye shouldn’t been even mentioned in the same sentence as Ali. Actually not even Holyfield either.
by Haans Bishop on Nov 13, 2009 1:01 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
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