How good is David Haye?

[fitefanSHO]

Good enough to beat a giant heavyweight who never punches.

Not good enough to beat a giant heavyweight who occasionally punches.

[edgarg]

I mean VK at 80". Sorry for typo.

Again Liston had an 84" reach, not 64"...another typo. Am typing basically in the dark and make an occasional typo.

[edgarg]

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

For all the great praise you are bestowing on Haye, your criticisms MUCH MORE than erase any overexaggerated assets you say he has. What's the use of being able to wave his hands around, fast, if he couldn't beat Klitschko to the punch. Why? because Klitschko himself has extremely fast hands, and a huge punch with them, and Haye was afraid to get near him.

I've NEVER seen such a huge distance between ANY two fighters before, completely impossible for either to take the other by surprise, or even punch first. To compare him to any fighter except a rank amateur is blasphemy. The best I can say, (and have ALWAYS said) is that he is a "credit" to his "trainer".

Except in the drooling mouth area. THERE, he is near the top.

[edgarg]

For all the great praise you are bestowing on Haye, your criticisms MUCH MORE than erase any overexaggerated assets you say he has. What's the use of being able to wave his hands around, fast, if he couldn't beat Klitschko to the punch. Why? because Klitschko himself has extremely fast hands, and a huge punch with them, and Haye was afraid to get near him.

I've NEVER seen such a huge distance between ANY two fighters before, completely impossible for either to take the other by surprise, or even punch first. To compare him to any fighter except a rank amateur is blasphemy. The best I can say, (and have ALWAYS said) is that he is a "credit" to his "trainer".

Except in the drooling mouth area. THERE, he is near the top.

Skilled at what....he should have gone in for Track and Field.

[fitefanSHO]

He's good at talking.

Terrible at backing it up...

[FrankieBruno]

He's very good, needs to touch up on his combinations though

[The Hammer]

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 80". Sonny Liston, 6-8 inches SHORTER, had an 84" reach and you didn't hear people complaining about his reach. All they were talking about was his very good left hand.

You make a good point about the Klitschkos' reach. They are tall, but really don't have exceptionally long arms, especially Wlad.

According to HBO, Haye has slightly LONGER ARMS than Wlad, who has an arm length the same as Floyd Mayweather at 26" (a greater proportion of Wlad's 81" reach is in his shoulders, both Vitali and Haye actually has longer arms than Wlad, despite having a shorter wingspans at 80" and 78").

Reach:

Julius Long: 90"
Michael Grant: 86"
Lennox Lewis: 84"
Paul Williams: 82"
Wladimir Klitschko: 81"
Vitali Klitschko: 80"

[ChopperRead]

Good enough to beat a giant heavyweight who never punches.

Not good enough to beat a giant heavyweight who occasionally punches.

How about to beat a giant heavyweight who throws 800 punches in 10 rounds like Vitali?

[ChopperRead]

You make a good point about the Klitschkos' reach. They are tall, but really don't have exceptionally long arms, especially Wlad.

According to HBO, Haye has slightly LONGER ARMS than Wlad, who has an arm length the same as Floyd Mayweather at 26" (a greater proportion of Wlad's 81" reach is in his shoulders, both Vitali and Haye actually has longer arms than Wlad, despite having a shorter wingspans at 80" and 78").

Reach:

Julius Long: 90"
Michael Grant: 86"
Lennox Lewis: 84"
Paul Williams: 82"
Wladimir Klitschko: 81"
Vitali Klitschko: 80"

Very good point. They don't have great reach and they are sometimes outweighed the opposition. But they use what they have very very well.

[fitefanSHO]

How about to beat a giant heavyweight who throws 800 punches in 10 rounds like Vitali?

Just like Vitali to feast on retreads.