By Mark Vester

Heavyweight contender Monte Barrett walked away from the sport in style. Last Friday in Atlantic City, Barrett was the heavy underdog and took the fight to big puncher David Tua. He took over the second half of the fight and handed Tua the first knockdown of his career in the twelfth round. The judges scored the fight a majority draw. Many observers saw Barrett as the winner. A surprising outcome since Tua was expected to knock Barrett out within the first five rounds.

BoxingScene.com spoke with Barrett about the state of the heavyweight division and which fighter was going to lead the way. He gave an unexpected answer.

"I think David Haye is the truth. I can't stand David Haye because of the way that he treated me [in England], but as an athlete, as a fighter - he is the truth. He's very smart, very cagey. He's a strategical guy, inside the ring and outside the ring. What he did to me in London was strategic, he just threw me off my game plan. I think David Haye is a force to be reckon with. I think he's the future of boxing," Barrett said.

When Barrett fought Haye in 2008, the British champion put Barrett in a cheap hotel and didn't provide him with enough funds to purchase food. Barrett saw Haye's treatement as a pre-fight strategy that threw him off his game. Haye stopped Barrett in five rounds. The situation with the Klitschko brothers, where Haye issued challenges for two years, and now he won't return their calls - is part of Haye's strategy, says Barrett.

"He's a strategic person inside and outside the ring. [When I was at my hotel for the Haye fight], me and [adviser] Jimmy Glenn had to pay for everything. They just treated us like [dirt]. They had us in the hotel where the fans were staying. They couldn't even believe I was staying in there. They just treated me so bad out there," Barrett said.

Send News Tips and Comments To Mark Vester @ boxingvester@gmail.com