By Edward Chaykovsky
In January, former two division world champion David Haye (28-2, 26KOs) resumed his career after a layoff that spanned three and a half years. He blew away Mark de Mori in one round and then came back in May to demolish Andrej Gjergjaj in two rounds.
Now Haye is in line to face former WBO heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs in the fall.
The one fight at the top of Haye's radar is a domestic showdown with IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (17-0, 17KOs).
Haye wants to face Joshua sooner than later, because he believes the 2012 Olympic gold medal winner will only get better as time goes on.
Joshua captured the IBF title in April with a two round knockout of unbeaten Charles Martin, and then retained his title in June with a seven round battering of Dominic Breazeale. He is being lined up for a second defense in November, with former WBC champion Bermane Stiverne being named as a possible opponent.
"The longer Anthony has, the better he's going to be, the more lessons he'll learn. The more training camps he goes through, the more sparring he gets and the more seasoned he gets," Haye told Sky Sports News.
"I have a certain skill set that I believe would trump Joshua. He has got the size and strength; I'm sure he could out deadlift me. He's a tremendous athlete. He could probably beat me in a 100m but this is boxing.
"It's about skill, movement and experience. I've been boxing since the age of 10 and I've got the experience to outmanoeuvre someone who's bigger than me. I've done it in the past. It's easy to say that outside the ring. In the ring, it's a lot more difficult.
"Joshua is one of the top fighters in the world. He has the world title for a reason. He had the Olympic gold medal as an amateur. As a professional he's got a 100 per cent knockout ratio and he's done everything he needs to do."
