Wladimir Klitschko - how can Haye beat him?

2. What are Wladimir's weaknesses? Lack of inside game, questionable chin, confidence on finishing, lack of combinations. 3. How does Wladimir compensate for these weaknesses? By jabbing, jabbing, holding. Might be boring time to time but no one has been able to stop him in years. Before you speculate about weaknesses you have to prove that "lack of combinations" or "lack of inside game" is a weakness. There has hardly been a boxer with a greater dominance over his opponents than Wladimir Klitschko thus actually "inside game" and "combinations" are the weaknesses or rather substitutions to cover up weaknesses. Wlad has the highest "unique KOratio" (I excluded WDQs and NCs and headbutt results) of all heavyweight world champs (78 to date) thus you are trying to find faults where there are most probably none. It's exactly this American nonsense of "Good boxing = combinations, uppercuts, inside game" that makes Wlad win over and over again. Because every opponent concentrates on "getting inside" or "touch his mandibula" whereas this has been proven to not work since years.

the only way I see Haye having a chance is if he takes a page out of '****ty boxing 101 by Jean Pascal'. In other words, run run run. then flurry like nuts and hope they get through hurt Wlad. sounds amateurish, and it is, but it actually is an effective strategy in this particular fight. 1. Wlad is patient...almost too patient. He didnt put pressure on Ibragimov when Ibrag was running and fighting defensively. If Haye runs away and puts up the illusion of being ready to attack if Wlad gets too close, he can stifle Wlad's offense. 2. Wlad isnt a very good counter puncher...rarely does it. He can catch you as you try to come inside, but if you go on an all out assualt he will simply backpeddle, weather the storm, and clinch. Thats what Haye needs to do every time he attacks, it will be reletively safe for Haye since Wlad will go defensive and if Haye is lucky he can do some damage...after all, Wlads chin and overall durability is probably his biggest weakness. If his punches get through, he can change the momentum in his favor and win rounds, and maybe put Wladimir on the canvas if hes super lucky. I can tell you right now, that if Haye tries to stand midrange with Wlad and 'box', hes getting dominated by jabs and then the right hand.

Haye will need to keep Wladimir out of rhythm, off balance and constantly defending himself. The more Wladimir is his usual controlled self, the less likely that Haye wins this fight. Haye would need to get on the inside often, connect then take a step back as Wladimir tries to hold and connect again. When on the outside, make sure that Haye stays way outside (and moving) so that Wladimir can't jab him to death. This is important as I see Haye hanging on the outside a lot. Haye has that size/reach disadvantage so if Haye makes Wladimir fight his fight, then the only chance Haye has is by way of the KO punch. I hope that Haye doesn't (but most probably will) fight all night on the outside, being overly patient, and come in too few times, making it a boring fight. On the upside, Haye has much better speed and more athletic than most of Wladimir's recent opponents. Therefore, we may be seeing Wladimir more vulnerable than we have seen him of late. All that I wish for is a good fight. It's been a while that I haven't seen a good fight in the HW division and especially fighting for the belts.

I dont think you need to be more scientific than haye having to land the kind of punch the south african coetzee or whatever his name is again on his chin, and hes got 12 rounds to find it. But Wlad is more careful and wary and can i say smarter now for his losses. It will perhaps be harder to do now.

I agree that Haye will probably have to take Wladimir out early. Haye's stamina problems will mean he probably won't have the same power later on in the fight and Klitschko always finishes strong, as his confidence level rises throughout the fight. How does he get that knockout though? He gets the knockout by slipping his jab and landing a huge right hand

I think haye has agood chance. i mean how do you beat wladimir ? by getting him out of his game plan , wladimir clearly looks pissed and angry. as long as he can control it thats fine but if he gets too emotional its going to make it easy for david haye which is obvuiously what david haye was trying to do . if haye wins it will be because he was smart enough to : 1) let the klitschkos get a bit older before he fought them vitali looks old in most of his recent training photos 2) get them angry and out of their normal game plan those are hayes best chances and what he has been doing all this time if wladimir does what he normally does boxes patiently he wins it easy. if he gets angry and makes mistakes haye will have a good shot wladimirs best weapon is emmanuel steward ..... his greatest weakness will be if he lets haye make him over emotional ... (which as we can all see is already happening)

The key for Haye is very simple: Dont get hit. Best way to do this is get on the bicycle for the first 4 rounds to frustrate Wlad as well as well as the German crowd. Dont worry about scoring, just keep your chin clean. Sooner or later Wlad will be forced to leave his comfort zone and open up, thats when Haye makes his move. Haye should also go for body shots, and nail him right where that injury occured. If Wlad covers up, then go for the head and knock em out.

I agree with pretty much all the comments in this thread. Haye has to make his right hand count if he's to have any chance. The success I see him having will come from explosive bursts. He'll be picking and choosing his moments and on his bike for the rest of it. I think he'll also find Wlad is much better at shutting up shop than he used to be. It's entirely possible he could hurt Wlad with a good shot. Enough to stop him? I doubt it. His finishing is a little over-rated. He can be a bit sloppy and Wlad is a bigger guy than the Ruiz and Barrett's of the world. 2 or 3 knockdowns necessary to stop Wlad outright I imagine, which will be difficult because Wlad has learned how to survive when hurt. I see Wlad picking up the rounds, haye having moments here and there and on his bike all night. He'll probably cry robbery after it aswell. I hope it's the bloodbath people think it'll be but I just don't see it....

For Haye to win he'll need to jump on Wlad from the start when he's fresh, confident and still has the possible element of surprise. Go to Wlad's body and head, mix up his attacks and hope at least some of those punches get through. And if he does manage to hurt Wlad he'll need to finish really strongly, not get overexcited and waste punches and possibly allow Wlad to recoup and get back into the fight. Thing is, for anyone expecting a repeat of the Sanders fight, I wouldn't hold your breath. Of late, Wlad's shown an excellent ability to avoid or nullify punches, and the chin and composure to withstand heavy shots. If Haye just tries to throw wild haymakers at Wlad's head he'd going to be missing a lot and getting a ramrod jab in his face for his troubles. Wlad's really got quite adept at swaying back from overhand rights whilst maintaining his composure and jab, and Haye would expend a lot of energy if he went down this route, energy which he can't afford to squander if he hopes to win. One punch which I think Haye might have some success with is the ducking left hook, the same punch Benn used on McClellan: duck and sway under the jab and come up with a hard left hook from the legs. Whether he'll be able to land it though is another matter. McClellan rather foolishly stood in Benn's range and got punished for his troubles; Wlad won't do that. He'll be maintaining his distance and making sure Haye won't be able to set his legs for a big shot by constantly keeping the jab in his face. To nullify that Haye will need to stay way on the outside when he's not punching, force Wlad to come to him and hope to land a counter, though this is risky as he could find himself getting pushed back to the ropes where he'll be a sitting duck to Wlad's punches. And unlike Valuev Wlad won't let him escape from the ropes. Honestly though, the more I think about this fight the less chance I see of Haye winning. You can talk about speed and athleticism and power and sexy corn rows all you like but stylistically Haye has a lot going against him. I expect this fight to go a lot like the Lennox Tyson bout, albeit a more conservative version with both fighters quite hesitant to engage. Good post. It's certainly laughable that some posters on this forum believe that all Haye will have to do is throw one big shot. Not everyone will see it this way, but I'd call Haye beating Wladimir one of the biggest upsets in recent times.

For Haye to win he'll need to jump on Wlad from the start when he's fresh, confident and still has the possible element of surprise. Go to Wlad's body and head, mix up his attacks and hope at least some of those punches get through. And if he does manage to hurt Wlad he'll need to finish really strongly, not get overexcited and waste punches and possibly allow Wlad to recoup and get back into the fight. Thing is, for anyone expecting a repeat of the Sanders fight, I wouldn't hold your breath. Of late, Wlad's shown an excellent ability to avoid or nullify punches, and the chin and composure to withstand heavy shots. If Haye just tries to throw wild haymakers at Wlad's head he'd going to be missing a lot and getting a ramrod jab in his face for his troubles. Wlad's really got quite adept at swaying back from overhand rights whilst maintaining his composure and jab, and Haye would expend a lot of energy if he went down this route, energy which he can't afford to squander if he hopes to win. One punch which I think Haye might have some success with is the ducking left hook, the same punch Benn used on McClellan: duck and sway under the jab and come up with a hard left hook from the legs. Whether he'll be able to land it though is another matter. McClellan rather foolishly stood in Benn's range and got punished for his troubles; Wlad won't do that. He'll be maintaining his distance and making sure Haye won't be able to set his legs for a big shot by constantly keeping the jab in his face. To nullify that Haye will need to stay way on the outside when he's not punching, force Wlad to come to him and hope to land a counter, though this is risky as he could find himself getting pushed back to the ropes where he'll be a sitting duck to Wlad's punches. And unlike Valuev Wlad won't let him escape from the ropes. Honestly though, the more I think about this fight the less chance I see of Haye winning. You can talk about speed and athleticism and power and sexy corn rows all you like but stylistically Haye has a lot going against him. I expect this fight to go a lot like the Lennox Tyson bout, albeit a more conservative version with both fighters quite hesitant to engage.

How can Haye beat him? He can't

It will be tough for Haye on in the insdie and it will b even tougher on the outside. Unless Haye can land a monsterous shot early it's going to be a tough night. Whenever Haye throws 1 punch at a time which is quite often Wlad will have a field day. The bottom line is Haye has to hurt or discourage him to beat him. If he doesn't, he's not going to win.

watch for the left hand

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1arZwSPYJFw/S-jDdB9pmCI/AAAAAAAACEI/7wqGT_crkaw/s1600/moses_parting_the_red_sea.jpg

I think for Haye to have any chance he will need to get inside Wlad's long jab without getting caught on the way in. Unlikely this will happen but that is the key. I actually give Haye an advantage in handspeed but if Haye is outside taking Wlad's jab, it is over before it starts!

He has to find a way to deal with the jab and negate the clinch. His speed and power also have to live up to their billing. Haye can't really fight at long range, even though he prefers to, and if he tries to be the constant aggressor, Wladimir will simply smother him. He will have to mix it. Haye has fairly quick hands but he has to work on his foot and upperbody movement in order to win this fight. Haye keeps his hands low, so blocking/parrying Wladimir's jab is out of the option, he has to rely on his head movement to avoid it, and it'll be tough the longer the fight goes. Instead he will have to make Wladimir pay for each jab he misses by countering with the right hand, but Wladimir has a way of gauging the correct distance and is rarely at punching range, especially with the height advantages he has in this match-up. Haye has to be extra fast with both his hand and feet in order to shock Wladimir's defenses and send him crumbling towards the canvas. A great technical display is not to be expected from him, instead it will be a magnificent display of violence if Haye is to win, something comparable to the Sanders bout. However it's difficult to see anything but Wladimir giving Haye a beating here. He's talked too much, and done too little. Excellent response. I like your point about the range Haye likes to fight at especially. The Catch-22 in this fight for Haye is that it would be suicidal for Haye to try and fight on the inside too much, because as you mentioned, he'll be smothered and will lose a lot of energy - energy that history suggests he can't afford to lose with regards to his stamina issues.

He has to find a way to deal with the jab and negate the clinch. His speed and power also have to live up to their billing. Haye can't really fight at long range, even though he prefers to, and if he tries to be the constant aggressor, Wladimir will simply smother him. He will have to mix it. Haye has fairly quick hands but he has to work on his foot and upperbody movement in order to win this fight. Haye keeps his hands low, so blocking/parrying Wladimir's jab is out of the option, he has to rely on his head movement to avoid it, and it'll be tough the longer the fight goes. Instead he will have to make Wladimir pay for each jab he misses by countering with the right hand, but Wladimir has a way of gauging the correct distance and is rarely at punching range, especially with the height advantages he has in this match-up. Haye has to be extra fast with both his hand and feet in order to shock Wladimir's defenses and send him crumbling towards the canvas. A great technical display is not to be expected from him, instead it will be a magnificent display of violence if Haye is to win, something comparable to the Sanders bout. However it's difficult to see anything but Wladimir giving Haye a beating here. He's talked too much, and done too little.

I'll answer my own questions: 1. What are Wladimir's strengths? - Physically: tall, long reach, excellently conditioned, knockout power, fast hands (for a big man). - Technically: excellent ramrod jab, powerful straight right/right cross, excellent defence. - Mentally: disciplined, determined, has shown heart. 2. What are Wladimir's weaknesses? - Physically: poor chin, occasional bad balance. - Technically: no inside game, not a combination puncher. - Mentally: lack of confidence in finishing and in his own chin, predictable, a lack of adaptability. 3. How does Wladimir compensate for these weaknesses? By cautiously protecting his chin, only throwing power shots when an opponent is hurt, tired or particularly open, measuring his opponent with his jab and keeping the fight at a distance, holding on the inside, leaning down upon his opponents during clinches to sap energy from his opponent.

Wlad is very hesitant and when he gets put under pressure he seems to crumble, when Haye decides to start swinging his speed and power is going to put Wlad in big trouble.

I think he has too try and take him out early.I may be alone in thinking this but i reckon Haye would have a better chance of beating Vitali right now I agree that Haye will probably have to take Wladimir out early. Haye's stamina problems will mean he probably won't have the same power later on in the fight and Klitschko always finishes strong, as his confidence level rises throughout the fight. How does he get that knockout though?