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Four knockdowns, a stoppage in the ninth, a whitewash on all the cards... I admit, I was impressed with Haye.
And maybe I'm just being caught up in the hypetrain, but I was genuinely excited by the fight the likes of which I haven't been for a long while. It seems to me like Haye is finally delivering on his promise to ****e up the HW division, and long may it continue. Both the Klits deliver systematic beatdowns of their opponents, which I can certainly appreciate, but there's an edginess to Haye's fights that I'm really starting to like.
Sure, you can make the argument that Haye was fighting a washed-up, past-his-prime never-was in Ruiz, but whatever his faults Ruiz is a tough customer and one of the cagiest veterans in the sport, and Haye did a paint job on him. I said before the fight that if Haye stops Ruiz sometime in the seventh or eight I'd give him credit. Well, he took a round longer than that, but I won't split hairs, that was a great performance. His combinations were crisp and well-timed, he used the ring well, and his defence was much better than I expected. Ruiz has a bit of power in his right hand, and I was expecting him to catch Haye flush at least once in the fight, but it never happened. Props to Haye for that.
Couple of points: It's a shame Haye felt the need to rabbit punch so much. It takes the edge off what would otherwise be a dominant victory, and gives his detractors ammunition to launch at his performance. Still, as was the case with Ward vs Kessler, I don't think the fouls had much of an impact on the overall outcome of the fight. Secondly, Haye needs to address his tendency to getting cornered against the ropes. There were times when Ruiz was catching Haye pinned in the corners, and were he a better opponent, Haye would most certainly have been in trouble.
Finally, whilst I still think Wlad would beat him, tonight's performance has certainly made a potential matchup between the two that much more salivating. I'll be looking forward to seeing if Haye can do the same against Chagaev. If he does, then I'm an officially converted Hayemo.
And maybe I'm just being caught up in the hypetrain, but I was genuinely excited by the fight the likes of which I haven't been for a long while. It seems to me like Haye is finally delivering on his promise to ****e up the HW division, and long may it continue. Both the Klits deliver systematic beatdowns of their opponents, which I can certainly appreciate, but there's an edginess to Haye's fights that I'm really starting to like.
Sure, you can make the argument that Haye was fighting a washed-up, past-his-prime never-was in Ruiz, but whatever his faults Ruiz is a tough customer and one of the cagiest veterans in the sport, and Haye did a paint job on him. I said before the fight that if Haye stops Ruiz sometime in the seventh or eight I'd give him credit. Well, he took a round longer than that, but I won't split hairs, that was a great performance. His combinations were crisp and well-timed, he used the ring well, and his defence was much better than I expected. Ruiz has a bit of power in his right hand, and I was expecting him to catch Haye flush at least once in the fight, but it never happened. Props to Haye for that.
Couple of points: It's a shame Haye felt the need to rabbit punch so much. It takes the edge off what would otherwise be a dominant victory, and gives his detractors ammunition to launch at his performance. Still, as was the case with Ward vs Kessler, I don't think the fouls had much of an impact on the overall outcome of the fight. Secondly, Haye needs to address his tendency to getting cornered against the ropes. There were times when Ruiz was catching Haye pinned in the corners, and were he a better opponent, Haye would most certainly have been in trouble.
Finally, whilst I still think Wlad would beat him, tonight's performance has certainly made a potential matchup between the two that much more salivating. I'll be looking forward to seeing if Haye can do the same against Chagaev. If he does, then I'm an officially converted Hayemo.