How good is David Haye?

[RajahBell]

He's really great at running his mouth. One of the ATG's P4P at hyping a fight. I know because picked him against Wlad. He's a proven Cruiserweight but at Heavyweight he's a level or two below the Klitschko Brothers. He's definitely no Evander Holyfield, I shouldn't even be using Haye's name in the same sentence. Haye is no where near the guy P4P wise.

[tennis-legend]

i think he's excellent and very skilled

some of the fastest hands for a HW i've ever seen

very good power to speed ratio aswell

great defense- good movement

so what does he lack

others have said it

inside game (no inside game against a K2 bros is suicide)
suspect stamina
work rate (why not throw more)
at times 1 dimensional (going too much for the hayemaker)
lack of combos

great offense starts behind a great jab
tyson lost when he stopped throwing the jab and started going for 1 punch victories

ali's jab was awesome- as well as an ATG straight right
combos
hand and foot speed
granite chin
ok- ali is the blue print

but any great fighter had a great jab

[slick1two]

He looked like a amatuer against Klitschko I can tell you that much. Dude was way off balance and throwing wide ass punches

Of course he's gonna look like that, trying to overcome a height and reach disadvantage. He will end up off balance trying to get to Wlad's noggin.

[slick1two]

i think he's excellent and very skilled

some of the fastest hands for a HW i've ever seen

very good power to speed ratio aswell

great defense- good movement

so what does he lack

others have said it

inside game (no inside game against a K2 bros is suicide)
suspect stamina
work rate (why not throw more)
at times 1 dimensional (going too much for the hayemaker)
lack of combos

great offense starts behind a great jab
tyson lost when he stopped throwing the jab and started going for 1 punch victories

ali's jab was awesome- as well as an ATG straight right
combos
hand and foot speed
granite chin
ok- ali is the blue print

but any great fighter had a great jab

About work rate, it's interesting, it is a weakness but in a way he's got his lack of work rate to work for him. That's how he remains dangerous through out the fight, as he's able to hit as hard in the 12 round as he can in the first. His lack of work rate is there by design. He fights in bursts and is economical with his punches. Doesn't always pay off as we saw in the Wlad fight but worked in the Ruiz and Valuev fight. Was able to still **** in hard crisp shots against Ruiz in the latter rounds and rocked Valuev hard in the 12th.

It's just his style, as he will never become a guy who is gonna pop the jab constantly, he'll use other shots as range finders so he can land his hayemaker. His style can still work for him, but he's fighting in a division where he's gonna give away height and reach, he'll always come up against someone who will neutralize his strengths and he will never throw caution to the wind and open up as he did against Thompson.

I think he could still be competitive against the other contenders with the style he has, as good head movement will allow him to open up countering opportunities against guys who are not as tall or as good as Wlad.

I rate Haye, he's a very good boxer. Would like to see him in more fights. Let's face it, he can sell them, and can be in some potentially good fights. Take your pick, Adamek, Arreola, Solis, a harder fight in Vitali etc etc.

[b0ndsj0ns20]

He was an A+ Cruiserweight and I'm still unsure exactly what to rate him at heavyweight. I hope he doesn't retire because he could still make some very good money and very entertaining fights.

[talz]

After Vitali and Wladmir he is #3 imo, I dont see anybody beating him but that doesn't matter as he is retiring in october unless wladmir gives him a rematch. But that is looking unlikely as Wladmir wants haye to have 2 more fights in america to build the fight up again.

[edgarg]

Honestly, he is pretty good. The division lacked a B tier of fighters because the Klits are clearly A-level whereas everybody else was C-level and Haye fills the gap quite nicely.
He is what Bruno, Briggs, Mercer etc. were in the 90s.

In my opinion Bruno, Briggs and Mercer would eat him alive without even bothinging to sprinkle a little salt. He might be "taking their place" as present day "B" fighters, but I dispute that, since there mucst be at least 4-5 fighters who woud/could beat him, around the heavyweight div.

He' showed himself up in the Klitschko fight as a rank amateur, and a not very good one either, with his prancing around every time Klitschko as much as moved his hands. His "toe" did not handicap him in the slightest, although we've been hearing nothing else but, since.

I don't know how he ever became a boxer, an attention seeker yes, like any other jealous child, but...BOXING....??

He also seems to be (as we keep hearing) the only person in the world on whom 2 anti-pain injections don't have any effect, although, according to him sometimes, theydo, and according to him at other times, they didn't.

Hard to believe over such a tiny area as a little toe, which hardly, if at all, even touches the ground. Not to mention that a fracture 3 weeks ago-some say 4 weeks ago- should have well healed by then, could only have been a "green" fracture" not a complete BREAK.

Just a fraud that I hope real boxing will not soon forget, when he makes his inevitable "return".

[Barry Halls]

he needs higher workrate. He also needs to prove himself in the division before i say if hes underrated or overrated.

I'm leaning towards massively overrated based on his odds against Wladimir.

[edgarg]

Of course he's gonna look like that, trying to overcome a height and reach disadvantage. He will end up off balance trying to get to Wlad's noggin.

The "famous" height and reach disadvantage were negligible. He was 2-3 inches shorter, a nothing to most boxers in ANY weight, never mind heavweight, and just 3" shorter reach, which is also nothing for most boxers in most weights, it is really only half that as the measure is taken from outstetched fingertip to fingertip.

You can be sure that Adamek will have more height disadvantage against V. Klitschko and he isn't complaining about it. As fr the reach, BOTH Klitschkos have exceptionally SHORT reaches for such large men. WK 81" and VK 60". Sonny Liston, 6-8 inches SHORTER, had an 64" reach and you didn't hear people complaining about his reach. All they were talking about was his very good left hand.

[edgarg]

The "famous" height and reach disadvantage were negligible. He was 2-3 inches shorter, a nothing to most boxers in ANY weight, never mind heavweight, and just 3" shorter reach, which is also nothing for most boxers in most weights, it is really only half that as the measure is taken from outstetched fingertip to fingertip.

You can be sure that Adamek will have more height disadvantage against V. Klitschko and he isn't complaining about it. As fr the reach, BOTH Klitschkos have exceptionally SHORT reaches for such large men. WK 81" and VK 60". Sonny Liston, 6-8 inches SHORTER, had an 64" reach and you didn't hear people complaining about his reach. All they were talking about was his very good left hand.

I mean VK at 80". Sorry for typo.