Willard looking like V. Klitschko: Haye looking like Dempsey

I've always thought Willard and Vitali were almost spitting images of each other.

Haye doesn't have the footwork and all-around speed of Dempsey though.

 

lol That you're a dumbass who should start watching another sport.

 

And Dempsey went after his man. Did you see Haye's effort with Valuev? He ran and threw maybe 10 punches a round. To compare Haye to Dempsey is way off.

 

This is more like George Foreman Ko 2 Ken Norton with Haye looking like a poor mans Norton when its over.

 

Haye is not as good as Dempsey and Vitali is better than Willard..so there you go..Vitali ko's Haye.

 

Haye has a long way to go to be compared to the likes of Jack Dempsey...Jess was strong but Vitali is big and skilled and has power, Vitali would shut Jess out

 

Willard did not turn pro till he was 29 while Vitali was groomed from birth ... Willard had tremendous natural skills and might have baan a great under different circumstances ..

 

I agree with that..rarely has there been a boxer with more of a random, haphazard upbringing than Willard. If he had a more serious and meticulous apprenticeship from a younger age he may have been a great fighter. His temperment and attitude yowards his sport could have been better as well.

 

Haye is verry much an old school fighter but he is not like Dempsey stylisticaly. Thinking about another thread I found myself comparing him to Bob Fitzsimmons of all people. I do see similarities between Willard and Klitschko.

At the end of the day the comparison is likley to fall down because Klitschko is not Willard and Haye is not Dempsey.

I have always thought that Haye had all the atributes to dominate the heavyweight division with the possible exception of durability. I have picked him over VK in the past and now I am having second thoughts. This is because the only person who really knows how durable David Haye is happens to be David Haye himself. The negative strategy he used against Valuev makes me think that he knows that his chin won't stand up at heavyweight.

If he was confident in his chin, and he could hurt Valuev so easily then why didn't he rip his heart out?

 

While I agree Willard may have had the potential to be great, I think it was a lack of dedication and mental toughness that held him back more than anything.