By Michael Marley
Some regard him as a chinless wonder who has verbal diarrhea.
Others view him as sort of a savior, the hard-hitting, verbose character who brings the heavyweight division in the United Kingdom, in the United States and maybe across the globe back to life.
His name is David Haye and I had the real privilege to chat with the Hayemaker who vows to be the Slaymaker of BOTH Klitschko Brothers, Wladimir and Vital but starting with Wlad come July 2 in a huge soccer stadium in Hamburg.
I spoke to this man on a mission and he sashayed up and down the strip in sunny Miami Beach where he's been training lighltly while waiting for a date and venue for his crack at Bad Wlad to be sorted out.
To hear Haye tell it, Vitali could abandon plans for a title defense against smallish Pole Tomasz Adamek out of anger after seeing how the British Banger demolishes his sibling and in Klitschko territory, Germany no less.
"If I get to fight both, I will demolish both of the Klitschkos," Haye told me Thursday night. Maybe Vital will not want Adamek after he's done crying about what I do to Wladimir. Maybe big brother will then step up, trying for familial revenge."
Haye has continually said he would retire from boxing around October but I asked if that self-imposed withdrawal goes out the window if he beats Wladimir. Haye corrected my "if" to a "when" and then said, "No, I won't quit then."
That's easy to understand given that Sir David only turns 31 come Oct. 13. Haye makes no bones, unless they're Klitschko bones, about his desire for a big stage across America.
"I've longed to put on big fights in the U.S., do fight at the MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay out in Las Vegas. I've been looking for some American to rise up big, maybe some American football player or something like that, somebody who would be a good opponent for me...But, so far anyway, nothing like that has happened...I am very gratified that HBO has stepped up for this fight in which I will knock out Wladimir because that's great...
"The only thing out there is the two Klitschkos and I will eliminate them both."
Haye said he was a boxing nut when he was a teenager, staying up late to follow the exploits of England's massively popular heavyweight hero, Frank Bruno, and others.
"Say what they want about Big Frank. It took him three tries to win the heavyweight crown but he did it when few thought he would. He fell short against Bonecrusher Smith. He fell short against Tim Witherspoon but Frank never gave up on himself.
Lots of guys would've said to themselves, 'Hey, I guess I should just stay on the European level, no more.' But Big Frank got the one more chance and he delivered fighting Oliver McCall, who had beeaten the great fighter and my great friend now Lennox Lewis.
"Bruno brought it all together against McCall on the night at Wembley and, even though he then lost against (Mike) Tyson, he always goes to bed knowing he done it, he won the world heavyweight crown." Haye said.
Haye named Tyson and Lewis, of course, as others who ring feats inspired him along with Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins.
"It's funny that Jones and Hopkins, I was big fans of theirs and now they're still fighting. One of my particular favorite guys was Nigel Benn, the Dark Destroyer we called him. He had no frills about him. He went in there against formidable foes like Gerald McClellan and done the job. He was one of those value for money fighters."
Haye added one inescpable name of a bygone time.
"Mention Prince Naseem, for sure, for his flashy ways and great boxing skills."
Now Haye goes to Hamburg where he claims he will turn Wladimir Klitschko into so much chopped liver.
Chinless wonder or new supernova of the weight class?
We'll know more on July 3.
If he can fight like he talks, I say bet the newly refinanced mortage on Haye.
More to follow shortly from the Hayemaker...