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By Thomas Gerbasi - You wouldn’t be too far off base if you suggested that Saturday’s WBA heavyweight title fight between champion Nikolai Valuev and challenger David Haye is a metaphor for the current state of boxing.
In one corner you have the seven foot tall, 36-year old Valuev, a hulking figure who is far from pleasing to watch in the ring as he lumbers forward, wins ugly and often controversially, and squeezes the life out of what once was the sport’s glamour division.
In the opposite corner stands Haye, a dynamic 29-year old with a big mouth and the punch to match, as well as the type of style and personality that can breathe life into the heavyweights once again.
But at 6 foot 3, and having never weighed in at more than 217 pounds, the former cruiserweight champion – and perhaps the future of boxing – faces a (literally) tall order in the seven foot, 310 pounder, the resident keeper of the status quo.
We can hope though. We can look at Haye and see a fighter who has the speed, athleticism, and power to succeed where only one other heavyweight – Ruslan Chagaev – has when it comes to beating Valuev and having the win stick. Others, like Evander Holyfield, John Ruiz, and Larry Donald, haven’t been so lucky, but the Londoner does take solace in knowing that the fighters that have given Valuev the most trouble haven’t been the giants of the division and that he has always fought his best against fighters who had a height advantage over him, such as 6 foot 4 Enzo Macarinelli (TKO2) and 6 foot 5 ˝ Alexander Gurov (KO1). [details]
In one corner you have the seven foot tall, 36-year old Valuev, a hulking figure who is far from pleasing to watch in the ring as he lumbers forward, wins ugly and often controversially, and squeezes the life out of what once was the sport’s glamour division.
In the opposite corner stands Haye, a dynamic 29-year old with a big mouth and the punch to match, as well as the type of style and personality that can breathe life into the heavyweights once again.
But at 6 foot 3, and having never weighed in at more than 217 pounds, the former cruiserweight champion – and perhaps the future of boxing – faces a (literally) tall order in the seven foot, 310 pounder, the resident keeper of the status quo.
We can hope though. We can look at Haye and see a fighter who has the speed, athleticism, and power to succeed where only one other heavyweight – Ruslan Chagaev – has when it comes to beating Valuev and having the win stick. Others, like Evander Holyfield, John Ruiz, and Larry Donald, haven’t been so lucky, but the Londoner does take solace in knowing that the fighters that have given Valuev the most trouble haven’t been the giants of the division and that he has always fought his best against fighters who had a height advantage over him, such as 6 foot 4 Enzo Macarinelli (TKO2) and 6 foot 5 ˝ Alexander Gurov (KO1). [details]
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