By Jake Donovan

The action never came close to justifying the hype that began nearly three years ago, but in the end Wladimir Klitschko scored his 14th straight victory with a wide unanimous decision over David Haye on Saturday evening at the Imtech Arena in Hamburg, Germany.

Scores were 118-108, 117-109 and 116-110 for Klitschko in perhaps the most anticipated heavyweight fight in more than a decade.

An extended delay only heightened the anticipation amongst an already raucous atmosphere at the jam packed arena. Much of it was due to Haye not being ready on time, resulting in the full version of “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now” being played before the Brit finally made his way out of the dressing room and on his way to the ring.

He would immediately learn that payback is a b(ear) to contend with, as Klitschko opted to leave him in the ring cold for another ten or so minutes before making his grand entrance to the tune of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Can’t Stop.”

Judging by the crowd’s reaction, few seemed to sympathize with Klitschko or take much issue with Haye. The cheers were loud and boisterous for Haye’s entrance, while a chorus of boos echoed throughout the arena the very moment that the defending lineal champion was spotted making his way to the ring.

Fifteen minutes, two national anthems and a lengthy list of intros later, the fight was finally on.

It was believed all along that the event would far exceed the fight itself. The event was indeed spectacular and lived up to that billing right up until the opening bell.

Then came round one, which was largely a posing contest. A brief moment of excitement came when Haye was sent to the canvas, but referee Geno Rodriguez was on top of the action and waved it off. The sequence came about after Klitschko’s left hook over shot his target, cupping Haye behind the head and throwing him to the canvas.

Action picked up in the second round, largely due Klitschko becoming more confident in throwing his right hand. Haye was so hell bent on scoring a knockout that he waited and waited for an opportunity that never presented itself. Klitschko took advantage of the inactivity, landing a couple of right hands including a flush shot at the end of the round.

Realizing that searching for a knockout wasn’t the answer, Haye stepped it up early in the third. A right hand drew a rise out of the crowd, but he failed to properly frame the moment. Both fighters let their hands go late in the round. Haye scored with left and a right, and Klitschko immediately returned the favor. Another takedown occurred at the end of the round, this time resulting in Klitschko being warned by the third man.

The threat of two-way action disappeared seconds into the fourth, when Klitschko scored a right hand that spun Haye’s head sideways. Klitschko controlled the pace and the distance from that point onward, feinting with jabs and throwing occasional right hands while Haye posed and moved. Action picked up in the last ten seconds, as Haye scored two right hands including an overhand shot that drove Klitschko backwards.

Not liking the tempo of the fight, trainer Emanuel Steward insisted to Klitschko that he unload his offensive arsenal. Student obliged in the fifth, scoring with lead left hooks and a telephone pole jab that set up his right hand, including one shot that caused Haye to clinch in order to steady himself.

As the rain began to pour down, a sense of urgency came from Steward’s tone to not give Haye any chance whatsoever of punching himself back into the fight. Klitschko, now sporting a mouse under his left eye and blood just below it, let his hands go early in the sixth but then slowed down after yet another takedown, this one resulting in a final warning from the referee.

It apparently didn’t take, although the point deduction that came in the seventh was arguably unwarranted. Haye lunged in with a right hand and grabbed the waist of Klitschko, whose immediate reaction was to push him off. Haye went to the canvas, which prompted Rodriguez to call time and march Klitschko around the ring to inform all scorers to dock a point from his ledger.

Sadly, it was the only sequence worth talking about in the round. Nor was there anything to talk (or type) about in the eighth, other than the ongoing discussion between HBO commentators Roy Jones and Larry Merchant, each of whom shared a different view on the development of the fight.

Vintage Haye was offered early in the ninth. A flush right hand briefly stunned Klitschko, but Haye instead chose to stand still and admire his work. Klitschko regained momentum on the strength of his jabs, but one too many right hands came with a backhand follow-up, giving the referee more work to do in a fight already entirely too dependent on his involvement as neither fighter seemed willing to let the action speak for itself.

Case in point was a warning to Haye after three straight rounds of falling to the canvas after attempting a right hand. No sense of urgency followed, other than Klitschko landing a long right hand towards the end of the round, causing Haye to clutch and resort to rabbit punching.

Haye attempted one more flop in the 11th, only for the sequence to miserably backfire. The move came at the end of a Klitschko left hook that partially landed and also pushed Haye sideways, but nevertheless resulted in the lone knockdown of the fight.

Apparently, the message wasn’t delivered as Haye once again fell to the canvas late in the round, this time resulting in a warning from the referee that he would be counted out the next time it happened.

Haye listened loud and clear, scoring with two right hands early in the 12th that rocked Klitschko. The sequence woke up both fighters as well as the entire arena, which simultaneously jumped to its feet and reacted to every punch thrown from that point to the end of the fight.

Klitschko continues to serve as the most dominant heavyweight in the post-Lennox Lewis era. He failed to score the 50th knockout of his career as promised, but continues a winning streak that dates back to 2004 as he improves to 56-3 (49KO).

Haye heads back to the United Kingdom with his first loss in nearly seven years, falling to 25-2 (23KO). The 15-fight win streak that followed including championship wins in the cruiserweight and heavyweight division, although his abysmal performance in this fight will make it extremely difficult to secure a fight that will come close to the eight-figure payday he was given for this event.

The bout was supposed to occur two years ago, only for Haye to pull out due to a reported back injury. Career-damaging actions ensued, including pulling out of a fight with Vitali Klitschko later in the year. He then strung along both Klitschkos and the boxing world for more than a year before finally signing a blank check earlier this year to fight either brother.

Klitschko didn’t necessarily set the boxing world afire in the interim. A stoppage win over Ruslan Chagaev – pieced together on short notice after Haye backed out – resulted in a lineal heavyweight champion being crowned for the first time since Lennox Lewis’ official retirement early in 2004.

Subsequent wins over Eddie Chambers and Samuel Peter extended his title reign but hardly enhanced his resume.

On paper, the win over Haye adds to his credentials although the performance itself won’t have people talking beyond the weekend. Klitschko himself admits this much.

“It wasn’t as impressive as I’d like,” Klitschko stated. “My last fight on HBO versus Sultan Ibragimov was same way and went 12 rounds. Now I’m back on HBO and we go 12 rounds. (Haye’s) style was very defensive.”

Surprisingly, Haye was in agreement.

“My performance was subpar,” Haye admitted, although with an alibi. “I broke my right toe about three weeks ago, and was unable to push off on it. I didn’t want to tell anyone about it but I was unable to push off on my left hook and trademark Hayemaker.”

Where Klitschko remained even less impressed – to the point of disappointment - was with Haye’s poor sportsmanship afterward.

“It was disgraceful for the sport. It wasn’t in the line of Joe Louis, Larry Holmes and all of the great champions of the past. I wanted to so badly to knock him out. He was scared to fight me. I was expecting more of a challenge in the ring.”

After three years of anticipation and buildup, Klitschko isn’t alone in that belief. Yet at the end of the day, he remains alone atop the heavyweight division.

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com. Follow Jake on Twitter at twitter.com/JakeNDaBox or submit questions/comments to JakeNDaBox@gmail.com .