Photo © Simon Dawson / AP

David Haye has long not made any secret about the fact that his goal is to move to the heavyweight division and unify the titles. After his demolition-style victory over Enzo Maccarinelli last night, the move is officially on. After beating Jean-Marc Mormeck to become the real cruiserweight champ, and defending against Welsh rival Maccarinelli in what was a big night for British boxing, Haye is on the move.

It all begs a lot of questions, though. Cruiserweight, first of all, is a division for guys like David Haye. Sure, Haye can easily fill out a heavyweight body, but why do it, besides the antiquated idea that it's the "money" division?

The first reason is fair and obvious: Making 200 pounds takes a toll on Haye, though to be fair, making any weight takes a toll on any non-heavyweight boxer. Ricky Hatton hardly walks around at 140 pounds, for instance. Boxers do not live normal lives, eating what they please and working out enough to stay "in shape" -- boxers are, generally, in remarkable shape that the regular public couldn't even imagine being in. The cardio alone is crazy.

But it's more than that for Haye. He wants the fame and glory of being heavyweight king, and what's more, he genuinely thinks he's got all the skills to make it happen.

Does he?

Sure, he does.

Haye's hand speed is good, his power is good, and is explosive-type punching power, the type you see at much lower weights. He's not a shove puncher, he lands flush and with brutal force. He throws a few wild punches along the way, but so do most of the heavyweights.

Haye fought once at heavyweight, coming in at 217 pounds. In the modern age of the super heavyweight, where a doughy-looking sort like Sultan Ibragimov is carrying 220 routinely at the weigh-ins, Haye will need to put on some power weight in a big way. At 6'3", he's not going to be terribly undersized, even by someone like Wladimir Klitschko.

But he needs the bulk. Look, I think it'd be great if heavyweights could come in at 210-215 and beat a guy like Klitschko, but they can't. He's too heavy-handed when he decides to punch, too smart, too good at boxing from a distance. While I have no doubt Haye has the punching power to hurt or even knock out Klitschko, he has to get in there first. Being able to muscle his way in would be a big help.

At 215-220ish with his body structure, he's still quite lean. The other problem is going to be his chin -- he's not immune to tasting canvas. Mormeck put him down, Maccarinelli even hurt him in their short fight, and he was long ago knocked out by big-hitting Carl Thompson. Haye is hurtable, and that's at cruiserweight.

The Evander Holyfield argument comes into play any time a top cruiser steps up to heavy, but I don't find it particularly useful, and here are five reasons why:

1. Evander Holyfield was a sensational -- not good -- cruiserweight fighter
2. Evander Holyfield's chin was made of concrete that had been left out in the arctic tundra for a while
3. Evander Holyfield had a will to succeed that was unlike any I've ever seen
4. Evander Holyfield was a first-class student of the game
5. Evander Holyfield is a Hall of Famer -- David Haye no offense, probably isn't

I'm not at all trying to slag Haye, just put into perspective how special Holyfield was. Haye is not Holyfield, and I don't feel that's an insult to David Haye.

Plus, he's not going to step into a fight with Wladimir Klitschko right off, or Samuel Peter, or even Ruslan Chagaev. His name is still unknown in the United States, as well. At 21-1 and with dangerous power, Haye might find it tough to come by quality opponents. So where could he start? How about another fiver list?

1. Calvin Brock -- Brock badly needs a significant win, something he hasn't been able to find since...I don't know, does Brock really have a truly significant win? Timor Ibragimov is a full peg below the likes of the true heavyweight contenders, Jameel McCline is the same, and so are Brock's other best wins. When in against top fighters -- Klitschko and Chambers -- Brock has lost, even though he didn't really fight poorly either time. Actually, Brock-Haye makes a lot of sense for both guys.

2. Eddie Chambers -- Our own Matt Miller thinks that Eddie Chambers would be a good test opponent for Haye at heavyweight, and I do agree. Chambers would be sort of a transition-type opponent, as he's really a cruiserweight that eats himself into heavyweight territory. He's a super boxer, probably has the fastest hands in the division, and can hold his own against just about anybody. That said, Chambers is heavily flawed. Landing a few combos and standing still to admire them would get him killed against Haye, who may be a harder puncher than Alexander Povetkin even if there's a 30-pound difference between the two.

3. David Tua -- Showtime is ready to back Tua if the former contender is truly ready to make one more push at a heavyweight title, and it's easy to understand why. One savage left hook from Tua, and anyone in the division could be looking up at the lights. Given that Haye now has some association with the network, can you imagine a Tua-Haye fight? Hey, you want action? Sign that one.

4. Cristobal Arreola -- Arreola is a favorite of many, and I like watching him fight, but I have serious reservations. He's 23-0 with 21 knockouts. He's also 27 years old. Stop fighting Cliff Couser types. Prove something.

5. James Toney -- There are several other guys you could consider for this spot, but I have the feeling that Haye and presumably Showtime will want an American, and that they would prefer a somewhat notable one at least. The 39-year old Toney is again on the comeback trail following his PED suspension, and while he's lost a lot of his skills, a lot of his fans, and a lot of his respect, he still has a name. Haye would probably retire Toney -- and that'd be a good way for Haye to start his heavyweight run.

It's such an interesting case, and I'm pretty happy that David Haye is going to move up a division. He's a good, exciting fighter, not too brainy to engage in a war, and not without flaws or vulnerability. Those are the fighters the division needs to overcome fights like Klitschko-Ibragimov or even Maskaev-Peter.

In the end, though, I can't help but get the sneaking suspicion that as exciting as Haye is, even his heavyweight fights are going to be largely snoozefests against either overmatched opponents or guys who will find a way to use their size enough to neutralize his offensive attacks. I wish him all the best, and truly hope he's someone that can make the division worth watching again, even if only when he's fighting.

Photo © Simon Dawson / AP

It was a fun night at the fights for those that watched, with David Haye retaining his status as cruiserweight champion (which he will soon vacate), Samuel Peter finally getting his crack at Oleg Maskaev and cracking him to win the WBC heavyweight crown officially, and veteran Nate Campbell outfighting heralded young star Juan Diaz to win the IBF lightweight title. And that was just what was on American TV tonight.

Let's kick things off with something else, though: In their fourth fight, WBC flyweight champion Daisuke Naito and rival Pongsaklek Wonjongkam fought to a draw in Tokyo, meaning their rivalry now stands at 2-1-1 for Wonjongkam. The 33-year old Naito (32-2-3, 20 KO) retains the title on scores of 114-114, 115-113 (Naito) and 115-114 (Wonjongkam). A fifth fight? Why not, I suppose? It's still the biggest fight for either of them, except maybe a showdown with young gun Nonito Donaire.

Wonjongkam is now 67-3-1, a bogus record, still, almost entirely padded with junk fighters. I'm not saying he isn't good, because he is. He's one of the world's best flyweights. But that record makes him look like some sort of legend. He's a Thai legend, to be sure, but he's not exactly fast-tracked to Canastota or anything.

Now on to what we saw tonight from Showtime and HBO.

At the O2 Arena in London, half a mile from where David Haye was born, the crushing cruiser puncher stopped Welshman Enzo Maccarinelli at 2:04 of the second round after a bruising right hand sent Maccarinelli into the corner, where Haye continued to unload on his foe until referee John Keane called it off. It's worth noting that Keane did so in a peculiar fashion, as he pulled Haye away from Maccarinelli, then never actually administered a count, seemingly having some sort of conversation with Enzo before deciding to stop the fight.

It was the right call -- Maccarinelli was in bad shape and just about out on his feet. But what if Enzo hadn't been too badly shaken? The referee would've given him extra time to recover during all that, and had no choice but to either wrongly stop the fight because of his own mistake, or allow it to continue at a slight advantage to Maccarinelli.

Luckily, it wasn't in doubt. Haye was cut within the five minutes of the fight, and said after that that prompted him to abandon the respect he did show Maccarinelli's power and just go for the knockout. It would've been tough, after all, for Haye to make his official and much-discussed jump to the heavyweight division had he lost to Maccarinelli in his final fight at 200 pounds.

Haye came in at 198 pounds for the fight, too, which I think is notable. He looked in really outstanding shape, and fought like it. He never looked sluggish (though five minutes isn't much time to start looking sluggish), and looked really lean, healthy, and energetic.

It's sort of too bad that the wonderful fans in London didn't get more for this much-anticipated showdown, but this was one of two real options for this fight's result. Either someone was going down early and excitingly, or the fight would be vicious and grueling.

In all honesty, it worked out great for American fight fans, who then were able to switch on over to HBO and watch that network's card if they so chose.

Haye is now 21-1 with 20 knockouts. Maccarinelli is 28-2 (21). Enzo made no excuses afterward, saying he got himself knocked out and that he just didn't box the gameplan. He gave all credit to Haye for beating him, and I expect we'll see Enzo in more big cruiserweight fights over the coming years.

In Cancun, the HBO double-header delivered as well as could be expected, though the outcomes were not exactly as many had planned.

In the televised opener, Juan Diaz lost his "0" as Nate Campbell outgunned, outfought, and just plain beat the 24-year old "Baby Bull," winning a split decision victory (116-111, 115-112, 113-114). Though Campbell erroneously had a point taken away for what the referee saw as a headbutt that opened a pretty fair gash just over Diaz's left eye, it didn't matter. Campbell swept the last six rounds of the fight in convincing fashion, as he looked like Juan Diaz, while Diaz looked like Julio Diaz or Acelino Freitas last year-- beaten men losing the will to fight.

It was a wonderful performance from Campbell (32-5-1, 25 KO), who seemed to get under Diaz's skin early and often, and also came out charging full-on, fighting Diaz's fight, working in close, rapidly punching, and pounding away to the body. Once the bad cut opened up, Diaz lost his composure and was hardly even competitive. While he gets much credit for being a humble loser, particularly considering it was his first loss after some were talking him up as nigh invincible at 135 pounds, and for fighting with heart and gutting out the 12 rounds, Campbell (to be blunt) beat Diaz's ass down the stretch. Those last six rounds were one-sided, not even close.

Diaz (33-1, 17 KO) will now be seeking a new promotional contract while coming off of his first loss, but I don't think it's likely he'll have a hard time finding a new home after his relationship with Don King was officially severed this week. Golden Boy or Top Rank would love to snatch up a fighter this good. What happened tonight was no more complex than a veteran fighter who can still fight beating a kid that has only once really been tested as a professional. As good as Diaz is, it takes fights like these to really become a great fighter.

It also really would help if he had more power, something they've got to try to work on. He needs to get stronger. Yeah, his best asset is his volume punching, but Campbell showed the blueprint tonight on how to beat Diaz. Train hard, come in great shape, and just run with Diaz. Fight Diaz's fight, and he can be beaten. I always thought it was impossible to beat Diaz trying to box cutesy-style at a distance, with jabs and the occasional combo. He simply won't allow a fighter to do that. Ask Julio Diaz, who is a good fighter than Juan made look like a scrub.

With Campbell never bothered by Diaz's power, he was allowed to stay inside and trade, trade, trade with Diaz. All the best punches of the fight came from Nate Campbell. Joel Casamayor has long said that Campbell was the hardest puncher and toughest opponent he ever faced, and he picked Campbell to score this upset. Nate, like Sam Peter, had long ago earned the right for this fight. In fact, he should have fought Julio Diaz. But it didn't materialize. Now he's proven how good he is. He's a world-class fighter who has learned from all the mistakes, never let the setbacks put him down, and persevered to become a major titleholder.

But do not count Juan Diaz out. He'll be back, and he's still among the division's best. But as of this moment, I have to consider Campbell the No. 1 135-pound fighter in the sport -- how weird is that?

In the HBO main event, Samuel Peter mauled Oleg Maskaev in the sixth round before referee Lupe Garcia put a stop to the assault, giving Peter the WBC heavyweight title, officially, and maybe putting an end to a good career for Oleg Maskaev, who looked slow and old.

It was nice that we got a conclusive finish, and it was a lot better than Klitschko-Ibragimov. But if anyone tells you this was really a good fight, don't buy the hype. They punched hard, occasionally, and then the rest of the fight waited on the other to do something. Nobody ever got into an effective rhythm, and the fight was marred by looping, sloppy punching, plus Sam Peter's trademark shots to the back of the head.

I'm happy for Sam Peter as I think the good guy won this fight. Now, he'll almost certainly go on to fight Vitali Klitschko, even though the only people in the world that would rather see that than Peter-Wlad II are all employees of the ridiculous WBC, or their last name is "Klitschko."

If Vitali does make it through a training camp and actually show up for a fight, I'll be honest, I hope Peter dumps him unceremoniously and calls Wladimir out on the spot, and then within a week, a contract is signed.

Ruslan Chagaev is a pretty quality fighter, and that's great. But he's stuck fooling around with Valuev in a rematch. Wladimir Klitschko versus Samuel Peter is THE heavyweight fight. I don't expect it would be anything great, but that's the fight. Some argue (if their last name is Klitschko) that Wlad already beat Peter, and then they note Wlad's marked improvement since that fight. But Peter has gotten better, too, shaky showing against Jameel McCline notwithstanding. Let's not forget that Peter hadn't been preparing to fight a big guy like McCline, and that he really showed heart to even take the fight when he didn't have to. McCline was not in line to do anything important, and still isn't. But Peter went out and put on a show for people at MSG that paid for his originally planned fight with Maskaev, and that should be commended.

Peter wants to fight anyone, and for once, I actually believe that coming from a heavyweight.

MAIN EVENT #1 (SHO)
For the Ring Magazine, WBC, WBA and WBO Cruiserweight Titles
DAVID HAYE
(20-1, 19 KO, London, England)
versus
ENZO MACCARINELLI
(28-1, 21 KO, Swansea, Wales)

MAIN EVENT #2 (HBO)
For the WBC Heavyweight Title
OLEG MASKAEV
(34-5, 26 KO, Zhambul, Khazakstan)
versus
SAMUEL PETER
(29-1, 22 KO, Akwaiborn, Nigeria)

CO-FEATURE (HBO)
For the IBF Lightweight Title
JUAN DIAZ
(33-0, 17 KO, Houston, TX)
versus
NATE CAMPBELL
(31-5-1, 25 KO, Tampa, FL)

The show goes live on Showtime in about 40 minutes. I'll switch over to the HBO card as soon as this fight ends. HBO's card starts at 9:30.

Also, if you're interested in MMA and don't care about the HBO card -- I'm not trying to downplay boxing, but I know there are people out there that are fans of both sports (like me!) -- our friends over at Bloody Elbow will be covering the Ken Shamrock-Buzz Berry main evented Cage Rage card from the UK, which immediately follows Haye-Maccarinelli on Showtime.

My official picks for the night: Maccarinelli TKO-6 in a hard-fought battle (Haye's chin, focus and weight issues bother me too much) ... Diaz via UD ... Peter TKO-8.

Part of me hopes this'll end kind of early so we can catch and score both fights on HBO, but most likely we'll be able to do this and the heavyweight fight, and see a portion of Diaz-Campbell.

Photo © Daily News

What is boxing's most ignored division, past the 105-pounders? It just might be the cruiserweights.

The division that features fighters the size of Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano is the only real destination for big boy action in the sweet science nowadays, as Jabimir Klitschko and his dullard minions occupy the top spots of the heavyweight division, all of them too "smart" and "business-savvy" to engage in much of a fight with anyone.

The rare "action" heavyweight like Cristobal Arreola is lauded as the future of the division, when he compares favorably to maybe a journeyman fighter of the division during its golden age. Simply put, when I'm hoping that somehow David Tua gets a crack at a heavyweight title and knocks someone out, the division is not in good shape. For all the positive steps we try to give the division credit for, the fights remain crap.

You won't see that on Saturday night, when Showtime presents David Haye taking on Enzo Maccarinelli, live from London for the world cruiserweight title.

These men are punchers. They're fighters. They're guys that look for the knockout and don't consider what their strategy will be for the championship rounds. They don't expect it to go that far, and matched up with one another, it will take a pretty remarkable effort from the chins of both men for it to happen.

Before he first Vazquez-Marquez fight last year, the two fighters guaranteed action. Marquez said he would give his life if necessary. Vazquez said it would be Fight of the Year (he was wrong, but only because they topped it later).

Haye and Maccarinelli are making similar boasts. Said Haye, "I guarantee this is going to be going off. This is going to be a mind storm of a great fight."

Maccarinelli, who spars with Joe Calzaghe and trains under Enzo Calzaghe, is 27 years old, with a 28-1 (21) record. He currently holds the WBO cruiserweight strap, which will be up for grabs along with Haye's WBC, WBA and Ring Magazine titles. His only loss came in his fourth pro fight, eight years ago. So long ago that it means nothing today.

As for Haye, he's a talker. The 27-year old Londoner is 20-1 with 19 knockouts, including his upset pounding of former champ Jean-Marc Mormeck in France last November.

Both guys can punch, and both are tall, with frames that would make many heavyweights envious. Haye stands 6'3", and Maccarinelli an inch taller at 6'4". And speaking of the heavyweights, Haye's destination is the sport's alleged money division -- how it's still considered as such when every money fight in the sport is fought at much lower weights is beyond me, but that's a debate for another day.

During press conferences, he has lambasted the heavyweight division and Wladimir Klitschko in particular, calling his fight against Sultan Ibragimov an embarrassment to boxing, and saying that Wladimir should be stripped of his titles because of his performance.

But while Haye has been talking about his inevitable move to heavyweight (making 200 pounds takes a toll on his body, and this is nothing new), Maccarinelli has expressed no such plans.

David Haye wants to unify the titles in a different division. Enzo Maccarinelli is only concerned with beating David Haye. Will that make any difference?

The question when considering which of Saturday night's cards to watch live is this: Do you want to see a fight that guarantees to be entertaining, or do you want to continue to pretend that the heavyweight division is the mecca of boxing? Sure, Juan Diaz-Nate Campbell should be a pretty good fight, but I'd bet my last dollar that Haye-Maccarinelli steals the show on Saturday night.

When in doubt, go with excitement. David Haye and Enzo Maccarinelli aren't likely to let us down. Maskaev and Peter almost certainly are.

And as far as all that goes, give me the cruiserweights over the heavyweights any day of the week. When it's all said and done on Saturday, compare Haye-Maccarinelli and Klitschko-Ibragimov and tell me what the winning fight was, because they're for similar stakes. I bet you don't hear 20,000 booing patrons at the O2 Arena.