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David Haye talks Mayweather-Maidana 2, heavyweight division, comeback, and more

David Haye gives his thoughts on Mayweather-Maidana 2, the state of the heavyweights, and his own boxing future.

Scott Christ is the managing editor of Bad Left Hook and has been covering boxing for SB Nation since 2006.

On Mayweather-Maidana 2

"I see this fight being brutally one-sided. I was there ringside for their last fight, and I thought Maidana put in a gallant effort in the early part of the fight, but once Mayweather got into his groove and got into his rhythm, it was pretty one-sided. I only had Maidana winning three or four rounds, tops. This time around, I don't see him winning one or two. This time, I think Mayweather's taking this fight very, very seriously.

"First time around, he may have just assumed he'd find a way easy, but this guy had some nice angles on his right hand. Instead of throwing it at his chin, he was throwing it at the top of Mayweather's head, and throwing his shots down. It was quite an unorthodox way to throw a punch and I don't think Mayweather experienced that in sparring, so it kind of shocked him early doors. He knows what he's bringing now. I don't think Maidana's looking to bring anything more than he brought the first time around. Mayweather's gonna adjust, and this is gonna be a boxing master class."

On what he'd suggest to a fighter facing Mayweather

"I'd try a shotgun. That's the only way to beat him in the ring, is literally just to shoot him in both legs and then knock him out. He'd probably slip it. He's quick enough. I don't know, to be honest. He's got sort of a perfect style. The only time he's shown any vulnerability, maybe, is the last fight. He got hit with a big shot against Zab Judah, against Shane Mosley. These are just one punches here and there."

On Mayweather's total package

"What people don't realize about Floyd is he's got a great chin. On top of all that skill, on top of all that movement, reflexes, he can take your best shot. The shot that Mosley hit him with would have knocked out 90 percent of the people in the division. He didn't even touch down, he kind of bent down and came back up. Held him, recovered.

"Ultimately, I think that's what separates the very, very good and the great, is having the the full package. Having all the high marks. If you had a list of all the different attributes one needs to be a successful fighter, punch resistance, speed, defense, offense, mobility, reflexes, timing. How many of those with Mayweather, would you give less than a nine? I can't think of any. He does everything very well. There's not one particular punch he can't throw. He can throw combinations, he can stand in front of you and not get hit. He can do everything. He's definitely a living great, and there's not many around."

On Haye's career status at the moment

"I had a big operation last year on my shoulder, a big reconstruction on my right shoulder. It's healing up and I'm looking at fighting hopefully before the end of the year. Training, conditioning, just getting in good shape. Hopefully I'll have some type of announcement in the coming weeks. I'm in a good place, happy, and looking forward to getting back out there and doing what I do best, and that's knocking people out."

On whether or not he's been frustrated on the sidelines

"It has done, but it's given me a little bit of time to reflect. By the time I get into the ring it'll probably be around two and a half years since I've been in there. My last fight was against a British guy called Dereck Chisora. I knocked him out in five rounds. He's a tough guy, tough competitor. It was quite frustrating coming off that victory and having to pull out of a couple of fights. That's life. I've had my fair share of good luck, I've had my little share of bad luck. That's life, and I'll come back stronger from it."

On the state of the heavyweight division

"I think it's good. I think the heavyweight division is as exciting as it has been in many, many years. You've got Bermane Stiverne taking on one of the biggest hitters in the division, (Deontay) Wilder. He's got a perfect record. i think that's a very interesting fight. You've got Ruslan Chagaev out in Russia doing his thing. These guys have got titles. Obviously, Wladimir Klitschko's got the majority of the titles in Germany. Klitschko's fighting the usual guys that he likes to fight.

"But I think it's quite exciting, quite good for the heavyweight division that there are people whose name isn't Klitschko that are fighting for titles in exciting fights. I was in Los Angeles for Arreola and Stiverne. That was a good fight! They didn't look like the best athletes on the planet, but the fight was an exciting fight. It was two guys punching each other. Neither were holding, neither were leaning, one wasn't way bigger than the other one. Just a good heavyweight match with the WBC strap at the end of it. I think that it's as good as it's been in quite a while."

On who will take over post-Klitschko

"Obviously, other than myself, I definitely think the winner of Wilder and Stiverne will be very important. If Wilder knocks him out, that's like 22 or 23 knockouts (ed. note: 32 and counting, actually) -- I think whoever wins that fight will have a big part to play in the heavyweight division in the next couple of years."

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