Lennox Lewis not sure about Haye's chances against Valuev
by SC on Sep 24, 2009 12:02 AM EDT
in News
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Former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis isn't quite sold on David Haye beating Nikolai Valuev in November, the season's second-biggest heavyweight fight. From Boxing News, via Sporting Life:
"If he uses his speed he can dance around Valuev. I actually thought Holyfield beat him (Valuev) and he's going to have trouble catching up to David.
"But if Valuev puts his weight on him, it's a lot to have to push off. David will be trying to hit these guys and knock them out, but these guys don't move easily."
In Valuev's fight with Evander Holyfield, he didn't put his weight on anything except his own knees and back, as he stood stationary at center ring and did nothing. Holyfield occasionally punched at him. Haye will have a lot more steam than Evander did, even if he followed the exact same script.
I don't really know anyone -- Haye fan or not -- that's actually rooting for Valuev to hang on to his alphabet trinket in this fight. Haye hasn't made any fans this year, not fighting and pulling out of two different bouts with two different Klitschkos after talking huge trash about both of them since before he'd even joined the heavyweight ranks, but Valuev almost seems to be viewed as a 7-foot tall example of everything that went wrong with heavyweight boxing.
As best I can tell, a lot of people would be absolutely thrilled with wins from both Haye and Arreola, two exciting, relatively young power punchers. Maybe you could even get the two of them to fight one another after that, which would give Wladimir Klitschko time to recover from shoulder surgery, field the Eddie Chambers challenge, and then everything could start sorting out next fall or so. Heavyweight unification, here we come!
Yeah, probably not.
Here's a Haye interview with Sky Sports:
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Haye
Man, it’s funny to see these guys standing next to each other. It’s a ballsy fight for Haye to take, and I’d love to see him win. And likewise, I’d love to see Arreola beat Klistchko.
I’m oddly also looking forward to Solis-Oquendo too. It’s definitely a step-up in competition for Solis, which has been a long time coming. If the dude only focused and trained as hard as he did when he was an Olympian, I think he’d give any of the top heavies a good fight. I’m Puerto Rican, and people can kill themselves calling me a traitor, but I’m going for Solis in this one. I think it marks only the second time that I’ve ever rooted against a Puerto Rican, the first being when Chavez fought Camacho. Though if that proposed fight between Campas and Camacho Jr. actually happens, I’ll be rooting for Campas to knock Jr. out in the first.
by kgon47 on Sep 24, 2009 1:05 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
i hope valuev wins. words can not describe how much i loathe david haye
The Dude Abides
by battle axe of doom on Sep 24, 2009 1:19 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
why???
because he’s got a big mouth???
by strike4A on Sep 24, 2009 7:25 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm with you
Not only do I wanna see Haye pounded near unconscious through the canvas, I wanna see Valuev stand over him and hit him in the back of the head to finish the job and put him to sleep.
Gimme 1 round!
by ItBurnzWhenIP on Sep 24, 2009 10:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I can’t see the Haye hate myself –
I hated reading on articles comments from (mainly American) posters stating he hadn’t “earned” his shot.
If being unified champion from the weight division below doesn’t earn you a shot at the next belt up, I don’t know what does. (The Ring even has specific rules for it [see Calzaghe v Hopkins]).
No one moaned when Pacman fought Hatton now did they? Pacquio didn’t “earn” his shot at LWW either …..
Anyway, putting that to one side, fair play to Haye for getting a fight with Wlad, and anyone who blames him for pulling out is absolutely mental. His financial backers, his payboss, the money people, Setanta went bust. He was going into the riskiest fight of his career, and potentially, for no money. Screw that. On top of that there was the whole “fight 3 of us” contract. Rematch clauses are common place. Rematch then fight my big brother clause? Come on.
He then was in talks with Vlad – nothing was signed at that stage, and obviously was hunting around at the same time. He signed to fight Valuev, a good move, a winnable fight, which will earn him a title, then perhaps a bit more leverage to barter with the Klitschos with….
Either way, should Haye win, and then arrange a fight with one of the Klits, it’ll be an even bigger fight for it now…
"Chris Eubank lost his recent comeback fight on points ... the main one being that he's a total git."
by bazzlad on Sep 24, 2009 3:52 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Haye isn't in the same galaxy as Pac
His best win is Jean Mack McCormick who is good but by no means anything special.
Gimme 1 round!
by ItBurnzWhenIP on Sep 24, 2009 10:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
ugh
Jean Marc Mormeck – sleepyness talking
Gimme 1 round!
by ItBurnzWhenIP on Sep 24, 2009 10:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He then was in talks with Vlad –
You mean Vitali. I dont’ think Haye felt ready to fight either brother. Haye runs his own shop and has a his best friend for a manager (who doesn’t seem very competent, frankly), so there’s no little voice on his shoulder to tell him who he is ready to face and who he should stay the hell away from until he gets some experience. I imagine that as the Wlad and Vitali dates hovered closer, it was starting to dawn on Haye just how far out of his depth his mouth had gotten him. The little voice was inside of his own head, and it was telling him he’d be a laughing stock and ruined as a pro fighter if Wlad marched him down and kayoed him in a couple of rounds. It wasn’t the only factor, but I’m sure it loomed as large as any other factor in the decision to drop out of both fights.
It’s not really about “deserve”… in Pacquiao’s case, we already knew he was “ready” to take on a Ricky Hatton, as he had faced great competition and overcome great challenges before. Pacquiao walked into that ring as the overwhelming favorite. Haye overcame Monte Barrett, and we were not impressed. David probably wasn’t very impressed with himself either, if he is smart.
"This fight'll be the nastiest thing you'll ever see. I been sober for six weeks, and that makes me vicious."
-- Randall 'Tex' Cobb
by jrok on Sep 24, 2009 9:53 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
You mean Vitali. I dont’ think Haye felt ready to fight either brother.
Yes I mean Vitali.
If you think Haye didn’t think he was ready to fight either brother, then you don’t know Haye, or don’t know his history.
You’re talking about someone who fought Carl Thompson in his TENTH fight. The only recent fighter to show balls like that is Tyson Fury.
He won the european title in his 13th fight, he then about 5 fights later took on the unified cruiserweight champion in his back yard. Before further unifying the division by taking on the (then) highly rated Enzo Mac. Sound like a fighter of a nervous disposition?
The reason he pulled out the first fight is blatant, no matter which side you look at, injury or lack of money (and it seems to have been the right choice as Setanta have left a lot of people with unpaid bill money).
It’s not really about deserve? Well it is when a lot of posters are saying that he doesn’t deserve a shot (go on esb and read any article on Haye). What’s Arreola done to deserve a title shot? Where’s his titles? His pedigree?
You’ll see how ballsy Haye is if he wins, (and it’s always an if against Valuev) because he’ll go back to negotiations with the Klits, but from a position of power. (At least more power).
"Chris Eubank lost his recent comeback fight on points ... the main one being that he's a total git."
by bazzlad on Sep 24, 2009 10:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
What’s Arreola done to deserve a title shot? Where’s his titles? His pedigree?
Arreola was a replacement fighter for Haye… when Haye backed out. Arreola jumped at the chance, of course.
Look, I am not the only man in the world to say that fighting Monte Barrett… a man that Wlad Klitschko starched nine years ago… was enough seasoning to take on either K brother. It just isn’t. It’s not on the level of a Caveman Lee taking on Hagler, or anything like that. But it is was it is. Haye wasn’t ready, and he was smart enough to figure that out before it was too late.
"This fight'll be the nastiest thing you'll ever see. I been sober for six weeks, and that makes me vicious."
-- Randall 'Tex' Cobb
by jrok on Sep 24, 2009 10:46 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Man, Haye is gonna be spitting out hairballs after he’s thru with Valuev.
"Penelosa is not human." -Max Kellerman on Gerry Penelosa during the Juan Manuel Lopes-Gerry Penelosa bout.
by Sickle on Sep 24, 2009 9:55 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Wow Valuev looks scary. I don’t care that his actual boxing credentials may be a little lacking, he looks terrifying! quakes
by Drunken cutman on Sep 24, 2009 9:56 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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