Comments Thread For: David Haye: I Will Be Heavyweight Champion Again, Trust Me

[angkag]

Lets face it, he looked terrible against Bellew. His foot movement has been replaced by a mile-wide stance and he looked like a heavyweight version of Vic Darchinyan.

Unless he can wangle a fight with a Charles Martin type, no chance of getting any of the belts.

And then there are the injuries, toe, shoulder, achilles - he's getting older and heavier, what part of him gives out next ?

[crisantonio917]

Perhaps he might have a run if he brings in a top trainer that he respects, with McGuigan, zero chance.

[johnnycontrolet]

Haye has nothing left you could see it in each and every round of the Bellew fight. Real heavyweights like Joshua, Klitschko or Wilder knock him out quickly.He is only a muscular shell of the old Haye. But he needs the money and that`s why he fights on.

[Beercules]

Sorry lad, no.

[Madison Boxing]

this guy seriously needs the money

[FlatLine]

Not many boxers would have fought with that injury in the Bellew fight so Haye certainly has the heart to go for the belts again, and it would be great to follow his comeback. But he's had two serious injuries back to back now in his career which could have both been potentially career-ending. He'll be back but I don't know now if he'll ever be as good as he once was due to physical deterioration.

[Jim Tom]

Haye's in denial. His best days are behind him now. His punch resistance is gone and he isn't as fast as he used to be. He got clipped by Bellew in the first round and he knew he could easily be put to sleep and adjusted well. He can not fight any current champion now, let him make his money by cherry picking.

[Marvlus Marv]

Let's see if you can beat Shannon the cannon first. He seems to have aged better than you.

[thack]

Haye has nothing left you could see it in each and every round of the Bellew fight. Real heavyweights like Joshua, Klitschko or Wilder knock him out quickly.He is only a muscular shell of the old Haye. But he needs the money and that`s why he fights on.

That's about right.

[Kilrain]

Haye's in denial. His best days are behind him now. His punch resistance is gone and he isn't as fast as he used to be. He got clipped by Bellew in the first round and he knew he could easily be put to sleep and adjusted well. He can not fight any current champion now, let him make his money by cherry picking.

What indication is there that his punch resistance is gone? Bellew couldn't put a dent in him even though Haye was hobbling around with one good leg.

He got hit high on the head in the 1st while leaping in and was briefly knocked off balance but he clearly wasn't buzzed. Not saying that's impressive – Bellew's clearly not a puncher at heavyweight, he's a blown up cruiser – merely questioning your claim.

For me, Haye still looks quick and dangerous but the timing was clearly not there against Bellew. Is that because it was his first legit fight in five years? Because he was nursing an ankle injury? Because his reconstructed shoulder is giving him problems? Because he was overeager to knock Bellew flat out in 1-2 rounds? Or because, as many gleeful posters suggest, he is just old and crap now? (Lol)

His stamina actually held up better than I thought it would. He didn't look too tired after 11 rounds. Admittedly the fight wasn't fought at a frenetic pace, but still, he had to have been burning up a lot of nervous energy and the tank must have been hit hard with all the frenzied motion necessitated by the freak injury.

Realistically, if you are a HW puncher, you should get Bellew out of there in 3-4 rounds. He's a flat-footed, slow, average boxer who doesn't belong in this division. The old Haye would likely have gotten him out of there quick style.

BUT I had Haye 4-1 ahead before the injury and could clearly see him winning a fairly uneventful 12 round decision before his Achilles went. In a rematch, if he is fit, injury-free and maybe 10% sharper than he was last time, I could see him getting Bellew out of there by the halfway mark. That's a few IFs mind you.

Ultimately Haye's best years are probably behind him but I wouldn't rule him out of winning another title. Joshua is mechanical and we don't know what his chin is like (hasn't really been tested). Parker is pretty average from what I've seen. Wilder is powerful but extremely reckless. Fury is fat as hell, inactive and might not return to the top of the division for all we know.

If this was the 90s and the guys at the top of the HW division were Lewis, Tyson, Holyfield, Bowe etc then NO, Haye couldn't win a HW title. But Joshua, Parker, Wilder are not in that league, at least not on the evidence we have so far.