In the age of the Super-heavyweight he can't be can he? He's smashed all the guys in and around his own size but the Valuev fight is the most telling.
He's didn't want to be involved in clinches with Valuev leaning all over him and sapping his strength and testing his stamina that many believe is a bit suspect. Valuev possibly could have pinched a win based on doing nothing much apart from trundling forward only throwing jabs and giving Haye nothing to counter by showing ZERO ambition to actually do put it on Haye.
Would Haye really chin Tyson Fury early doors for example? If the Big Man came in with a sensible Valuev-esque dull-as-dishwater game plan? I know a lot of people don't rate Fury but I wouldn't beat on it.
I'd much rather see Haye in barn-burners with men around his size like tonight.
I don't really question Haye's mentality at all. His fights with guys his own size are often firefights.
The risk to reward with the bigger guys might be to great or the punching angles just aren't there. Realistically, Chisora could have caught Haye on the ropes but David backed himself to get there first.
Not only mental make up but they also had better chins than Haye so would be more willing to engage.
damn u just took 2 lines to say what i did in about 15. The guinness is def starting to kick in!
Yeah I think the Holyfield comparison is a fair one! Him being the well-conditioned little guy who could get the job done against bigger men.
And the stamina question has been around since his crusier days.
and as its also been pointed out, his chin isnt top notch. So in reality he could never fight like Holy even if he somehow managed to imporve his gas tank (a LOT).
In a hypothetical if he could fight hard for 12 rounds, and had the mentality of a guy who was willing to go life and death to get the win (which, u never know he might have if he'd the confidence his chin was up to scratch), he'd still get KTFO if he mixed it up with the bigger men. A man has got to know his own limitations, and Haye does and fights accordingly.
Even Smokin Joe got KTFO against Foreman and he'd heart and stamina in quantities that most humans could ever dream of.
Haye is big enough, his stamina can be worked on but he's an explosive fighter and trains to emphasise that as obv. he feels its a bigger advantage. His heart and chin cant be improved (although like i said if his chin was better he might be more willing to mix it up more but i have my doubts)
Haye is a throwback heavyweight in terms of size.
In this current age though, no. He is what he is and that is a blown up cruiser who happens to have the speed, power and ability to beat guys who have big weight advantages.
David weighed in at 210 lbs tonight, but 217 lbs in the Klitschko fight. Even though Earnie Shavers and others weighed in at 210, it is very low by today's standards. It also means that Haye's swollen toe accounted for 7 lbs of his body weight in the Klitschko fight. Therefore, when Haye is uninjured, he is a cruiserweight. But when he has an annihilated toe, he is a heavyweight.
Yeah I think the Holyfield comparison is a fair one! Him being the well-conditioned little guy who could get the job done against bigger men.
And the stamina question has been around since his crusier days.
His stamina is really quite average at Heavyweight, though his stamina has always been his downfall even at Cruiserweight. But still, with that power, speed and movement he's a risk for anyone in the division. I'd say he's a proper Heavyweight, the problem is that Wlad and Vitali are all exceptionally big Heavyweights.
yes he's a real HW.
Haye's problem in dealing with big men isnt his size, its his stamina and mentality. He just doesnt want to take the risks that are required against the super sized guys. And he seems to run out of puff pretty quickly so he doesnt want to get weighed down by them in close.
Haye is not a small HW. He's just not huge. Holyfield and Tyson are modern examples of guys who arent massive yet would be much more willing and capable of dealing with the super HWs. More stamina, and a different mental make up.
Agree with all that.
The reason for his lack of risk-taking is he really, really doesn't like getting hit (at HW anyway). He reacts badly.
yes he's a real HW.
Haye's problem in dealing with big men isnt his size, its his stamina and mentality. He just doesnt want to take the risks that are required against the super sized guys. And he seems to run out of puff pretty quickly so he doesnt want to get weighed down by them in close.
Haye is not a small HW. He's just not huge. Holyfield and Tyson are modern examples of guys who arent massive yet would be much more willing and capable of dealing with the super HWs. More stamina, and a different mental make up.
That was his 2nd Heavyweight fight you dipsh*t.
Wlad and Vitali ducked Valuev outright.
Could of sworn it was Valuev flat out ducking Vitali and even refused to come out of retirement though offered a ridiculous pay day.