how can a channel as big as sky make so many mistakes... earlier they were reporting Daniel Rasilla as current european champion.
Our waiting is nearly done; David Hayes hype is nearly done. Britains heavyweight golden boy takes on the biggest and heaviest heavyweight champion of all time, Russias Nikolai Valuev, tomorrow night in Germany in a fight that whets the appetite of even the most casual boxing fan if not of terrestrial-TV executives (former BBC head of Sport, Jonathan Martin, once cracked, Who do you think is going to watch somebody called Naseem Hamed?). The dynamic, charismatic, intelligent Haye, a long-time cruiserweight and indeed a former undisputed world cruiserweight champion, steps into the ring for just the third time as a heavyweight against a man who outweighs him by seven stone and stands eleven inches taller and was probably born a heavyweight. Valuev looks in good shape for someone of his size, physically and mentally but Haye has labelled him a circus freak, along with a million other insults, almost like a man trying to convince himself of something (the fight sells itself, after all). Valuev possibly also senses this, remaining cool and stoic throughout the last few weeks, brushing off Haye as an idiot, although at the same time you wonder if Valuev senses anything or knows how to string a sentence together. Haye, by way of contrast, actually reminded me of Muhammad Ali with all his pre-fight banter and hes been talking all year - but can he fight like Ali? Another former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis has told him he must use speed "and dance" to defeat Valuev. Hmmm, Haye himself says he is going out there to blitz the champion, yet Valuev, for all his freakish size and weight, for all his monstrous looks, for all his plodding and for all his years (he is 36), is not completely miscast as a boxer - he can go a bit. Trained by former Russian national boxing coach Alexander Zimin, Valuevs boxing fundamentals are solid and so is his chin - he has never been down in 16 years as a pro, although Ukraines Taras Bidenko hurt him in the 12th and last round back in 2002. People say Valuev was close to going down. He wasnt; he was just tired, which only added to the hurt, and has since gone the full 12 rounds eight times. A smarter move for Haye would be to target Valuevs body before his chin. Of course, Haye might be just be trying to kid Valuev with all his bombs away threats. I remember the usually relentless Aaron Pryor switching tactics brilliantly to outbox Alexis Arguello in the greatest fight of the 1980s. At a much lower level, Bedfords burly and normally aggressive Matt Skelton did the same against a 20st 8lbs Danny Williams a few years ago in Cardiff (in one of the worst fights of this decade to date). Maybe Haye is going to use that dance. After all, if a 46-year-old Evander Holyfield can outbox Valuev (who recently underwent a knee operation and suffers back problems) for long periods of their 12-rounder last December, surely a 28-year-old David Haye can? Holyfield, like Haye, is a former undisputed cruiserweight champion and stands 6ft 2ins (Haye, an inch taller). Ruslan Chagaev, the only man to beat Valuev in 51 outings, also outboxed the hairy mammoth and stands barely six foot. John Ruiz, equally quite short and mobile for a heavyweight and surely one of the worst world champions in the history of the division, twice nearly beat Valuev. The quick and stylish Larry Donald was robbed against Valuev. Haye does possess a good jab, real speed, real fluidity. Nevertheless, at 22-1 (21), the muscled Haye is fundamentally a huge puncher with 17 wins inside four rounds (eight in the first). He has addressed a stamina issue that dogged his early career and cost him his only defeat against Boltons Carl The Cat Thompson (five rounds). He can now take a man out late on in a fight, bleeding badly or struggling, as he showed (respectively) against Italys Giacobbe Fragomeni, who had licked him as an amateur, and French bull Jean-Marc Mormeck in Paris, or still blow away a man in the first round as he showed at heavyweight against Polands Tomasz Bonin at Wembley in 2007, who was down three times. His only distance fight, incidentally, came at cruiserweight against Belgian survivor Ismael Abdoul, who lost every round. Can he slay a giant, however? The Hayemaker dropped gatekeeper Monte Barrett five times in a thrilling heavyweight encounter in London last November (six, if you include Barretts hilarious fall into the ring) and finished him in the fifth round. Two years earlier, New Yorker Barrett had lasted into the 11th with Valuev, going down three times, more from exhaustion than genuine-looking punches 11 rounds to five is some difference. Clearly, Hayes deadly combination of speed and power give him a real shout at finishing Valuev in the early rounds, just as he brags, but two fights at heavyweight, a years inactivity since the Barrett tear-up (although Valuev has been out since last December), the sheer overwhelming bulk of Valuev, the sheer size difference, the champions clumps and underrated jab, will surely all take their toll if Haye fails to budge his man early. The challengers rather suspect chin may do the rest (floored by super-middleweight Lolenga Mock, cruiserweights Mormeck and Thompson and by Coventrys Jim Twite as a light-heavyweight amateur; even Barrett appeared to drop him momentarily, although it wasnt ruled). Indeed, some say Haye is taking this fight so quickly because of his chin, or lack of it. He might as well get done for a payday, they argue, in a punchers chance at a world heavyweight title than in a nothing fight. There we have it, David vs Goliath, a cracking pre-fight slogan (for once). Haye certainly stands a better chance against Valuev than he did against the Klitschkos, in my opinion (both of whom he was linked to earlier this year), which can only be a good thing. Plus, he proved against Mormeck he can travel (and that he can really fight) Valuev, however, still looks too much too soon too big.
Don King already talking about a return fight! Says Haye will have a better chance then. If that doesn't tell you the judges are corrupt nothing will. If Haye's gonna win he could need that KO he keeps going on about
I don't think that Valuev looked scared as such...just not as confident as a 315 pound, 7' man should
That's what I'm waiting for as well, Ish. I pissing missed it! Stupid Germans with their one hour time-zone difference:fire. Griff=Legend:deal.