How would Haye fare against today's top heavyweights? by Kev Parker May 6th 2008

David Haye is the world cruiserweight champion.  He's stated many times before he aims to step up to heavyweight and be the world heavyweight champion.  Not just a titlist but THE champion. To do this, the man he's going to have to go through is Wladimir Klitschko 50-3, a two time champion and current IBF/WBO titlist, a tall order and certainly ambitious for Haye as he's only dipped his toe into the heavyweight waters once before, in April 2007 (Tomasz Bonin - TKO 1). There is the argument that he still has unfinished business in the 200lb division with Steve Cunningham (IBF holder), but Haye is quite literally looking at the bigger picture, moving to heavy will give him, more money, more opponents and the chance to be a world number one all over again and follow in the footsteps of the great Evander Holyfield. To do this though, there are several men he has to beat and the last man standing in the way IF Haye gets to the top of the heavyweight tree is Wladimir Klitschko. The first name that came into my head when thinking of Haye's heavyweight move was Michael Moorer, the former WBO light-heavyweight titlist and three times IBF holder at heavy. There is a comparison to be made with Holyfield but I feel the paths of Moorer and Haye are more likely to run similar than that of Evander's. Moorer, like Haye, had dynamite in his fists at the lighter weight but struggled to impose his power on the heavier men, although rising from 175 - 215ish it's understandable why the weight of the shots were much less effective for Moorer. Haye's and Moorer's chin are similar in my opinion too, I think both have good recovery powers and know what to do when hurt but they don't 'hold' a shot too well when caught fairly clean. Moorer was dropped numerous times as a heavy, sometimes he got up to win, other times he kept getting put down until he couldn't take anymore. David will surely feel the extra weight behind his opponents punches and I see him having to get off the floor to win in alot of his upcoming fights. Haye had a confrontation with Klitschko at the end of April looking to make himself heard and known, which he accomplished. Haye was brash and bold, he did most of the talking, some would say shouting, while Wladimir was respectful and appeared disconcerned when asking Haye what he weighed, he stated that he had to get in line and that he had to learn to 'behave himself'. Klitschko's demeanor was one of class and utter confidence, knowing that he is currently the king of the heavyweights. He also explained that he has two mandatories to fulfil this year so a potential match isn't going to happen until 2009. In my opinion that's a good thing for David. He needs time to settle in at heavyweight, he stated that he weighes 15st 10lb (220lbs) last week but will need to adjust to carrying the extra weight. It's great to be ambitious but we have already seen David get ahead of himself and come a cropper once, it would be a shame after how much he's come on to see the hard work crushed by going in too early against the very best at heavy. A couple of fights against name or known opponents will tell us more about David Haye the heavyweight. I think that team Haye should be gunning for Hasim Rahman or Oleg Maskaev. Both present a danger with power but both are ageing ex-champs, and style wise have the potential to make David look very good. It will show us how he handles the shots and natural strength of the heavier men and if taken into the later rounds if his power is effective and what his stamina is like against the big boys. With so many questions unanswered about Haye as a heavyweight fighter, the potential matches are all fantasy match ups but they could certainly come to fruition in the next year or two. The title holders are currently: Wladimir Klitschko (IBF/WBO), Samuel Peter (WBC) and Ruslan Chagaev (WBA). Other fighters in the top ten who Haye could make a statement against would be John Ruiz and Alexander Povetkin. I believe Haye could really stamp some authority with wins over Rahman, Maskaev and Ruiz then go for Povetkin or maybe Sultan Ibragimov to prove that he belongs in the mix with the top handful of fighters. Rahman, Maskaev and Ruiz are too long in the tooth now and I feel Haye's youth, speed and respectable heavyweight power would be more than enough to deal with those three fighters. Even though all three have enough power to 'chin check' Haye, they don't pull the trigger quick enough anymore and would only prove dangerous for a few rounds. But cracking the top ten, specifically the title holders, would in my opinion be a much harder task. Alexander Povetkin (15-0) has been steadily building up his level and coming along very nicely. He recently beat the undefeated Eddie Chambers in a IBF eliminator match and previously registered an 11th round stoppage win over Chris Byrd, a two time titlist, also winning easily against Larry Donald who was at one time a fringe contender. Povetkin and Haye are about the same size in height and weight and I feel this could be a wonderful match up to show which is a pretender and which a genuine title contender. Sultan Ibragimov (22-1-1) boxed terribly last time, losing to Klitschko as he looked intimidated by the size and power of Wladimir. He was also dropped in scraping a draw against Ray Austin in 2006. He does have wins over Evander Holyfield and Shannon Briggs but neither are much to shout about as Holyfield is extremely faded and Briggs only fights in very short spurts and lacks the drive to perform at a good consistent level. I see Haye's power troubling Ibragimov early and him boxing negatively allowing David to record a clear cut victory on points. Ruslan Chagaev (24-0-1) has a defence against Nikolay Valuev coming up, he could be there for the taking and isn't that big a heavy standing only 6'1"  (233lbs) but with a win over the 300lb+ Valuev already registered and a win over Britain's Matt Skelton (254lb), Ruslan shows it's not all about size but skill that wins. He also got the nod over John Ruiz back in 2006 who can make anyone look bad with his punch then grab technique. He's not exactly setting the world alight though with the manner in which he wins so if Haye can dominate or get a stoppage it would be very good for his resume. Samuel Peter (30-1) has only one loss and that was when he was out boxed against Klitschko, he did however, manage to knockdown Wladimir three times in the bout. He without a doubt has heavy hands but he is a very basic slugger and didn't look particulary impressive nearly getting ko'd by Jameel McCline two fights ago then beating Maskaev for the title last time out. He can be hurt and be out-boxed but is Haye big enough to be able to do this? The only men who have hurt Samuel so far are the truly big men, Klitschko (6' 6" and 240lbs) and McCline (6' 6" and 270lbs). Peter has a lot of heart too and genuinely believes in his own power almost always trying to force a stoppage. Add these factors to David's less than stellar chin and Peter could possibly overwhelme Haye in the mid to late rounds. Wladimir Klitschko (50-3) is the recognised number one heavyweight. He has the height, physical size, strength, power and skills to be a very hard nights work for anyone. His chin, stamina and heart have come into question several times throughout his career, noticably in all his losses (three by stoppage). He has avenged one loss against Lamon Brewster and beaten at least half a dozen other contenders in his reigns as heavyweight champion. He also knows how to fight tall thanks to Emmanuel Steward, although this sometimes makes his performances negative and he has a wealth of experience mixing it with a range of top 20 fighters over the years. Haye really would be up against it when facing off to the top five men of the heavyweight division but I see the combination of his explosive power and speed causing a few of them nightmares over the course of the next 18-24 months. I see his heavyweight campaign giving fans spectacular ups and downs. Haye will go over again when hit by a decent heavyweight, the question will be whether he can get up to win, as he has done at the 200lbs level or whether the heavyweight punch will put him down and keep him down. Whoever he fights, win or lose, will know what it's like to feel the power of the Hayemaker and be against a man who believes it's his destiny to be the heavyweight champion of the world.

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