Audley: Haye Turned On Me, He Deserves a Good Beating

By Mark Vester

2000 Olympic gold medal winner Audley Harrison has promised to cure David Haye of his big ego on November 13 in Manchester. Harrison says that he once had an ego problem, like Haye, and it took several years to get cured. He aims to cure Haye in one night with a knockout victory to capture the WBA heavyweight title.

"We've got to grow, we have to become mature men,' said Harrison to Jeff Powell of Daily Mail. "By beating Haye I will help him make that journey. My ego was once as out of control as David's but my life now is all about love, compassion and hope. This is necessary to fulfil my destiny of becoming champion, but it's not in conflict with my beliefs."

Harrison prayed for the chance to meet Haye in the ring. They were once good friends, now heated rivals, and Harrison wants to make him pay for the betrayal.

"I prayed to meet David Haye in the ring. For this, I did so because Haye deserves a whipping and most of all it should come from me. That's because of what he has done to me. I laid down the red carpet for him and all he did was turn on me. I give thanks for this opportunity," Harrison said.

Harrison is not listening to the critics who view the fight as a mismatch. Regardless of what the experts are saying and what the champion boasts, Harrison says the fight is a 50-50 affair. And he says Haye knows it too.

"David is exciting, explosive, fast and quite a big puncher," Harrison said. "I fully expect to take heavy punches and to have to recover from them but I know that he is the one with the weakness in the chin - and that I am the one who has only been down once in my life. Deep down, no matter that people say this is a mismatch, David knows this is a 50/50 fight, no, the fight of his life. Winning the world title has always been my destiny."