Yeah, that was my assessment too. He's accomplished jack **** in the HW division, but he was a decent CW. The level of respect he gets from fans is a function of his recent actions, but he deserves SOME for his past accomplishments.
I voted 3... I have very little respect for the guy but there's still a little left because of his CW accomplishments.
High respect for his boxing ability (7 or so), zero respect for his courage, sense of entitlement and sense of importance. Overall, I think he's destroying his own career. Has there ever been a fighter whose popularity and credibiity have dropped so rapidly, without even losing a fight? Remember, Haye was billed as the next superstar of the HW division. He's failed to live up to this miserably. The thing with Audley is a backyard affair at best, and no one else will give a **** about it.
10 - great fighter. Massive respect to anyone who makes it as far as he has. the Klitschko fights not happening are dissapointing and i would rather he didnt fight audley but thats boxing. Vitali is fighting briggs next and altho shannon is a great character is way past his best and is fighting club fighters again
4. It was much higher before he fought Barrett, 9 or 10. But he has clearly ducked the Klitschkos on several occasions. If he fights Fraudley it will drop further.
I voted 8. To be a cruiserweight who goes up and takes a heavyweight strap is a feat worthy of respect. And I am one of those people who fully believes that Haye will fight a Klitschko after he has earned sufficient money from his title, so his trash-talking towards the Klits has not made me lose respect for him because I think he will back it all up by facing one of them in the ring (whether he wins or not is another story). I like Haye, I like his fighting style (flaws and all), and I think he is articulate and likeable in interviews. The only reason why I didn't give him a 10 is the Valuev fight. He treated Valuev with far, far, FAR too much respect, and I think his performance was pretty embarrassing to be honest. He treated Valuev with the nervous terror of a bomb disposal expert trying to deactivate a nuke in a busy underground station, running around the ring trying to minimize the amount of punches thrown and landed by both of them. If he had been fighting a prime George Foreman, this tactic may have been understandable, but anyone who has seen Valuev fight before can look past the size stats and see a fighter who was ready and waiting to be dominated. Valuev is the most incompetent and feeble heavyweight champion of all-time, and Haye treated him like he was Sonny Liston, tip-toeing around in an anxiety sweat. A real fighter would have picked Valuev apart, and won in far more convincing and impressive fashion. I was so, so disappointed with David's attitude and approach that night.
I'm a **** boxer. Though I'd happily step in the ring to have my head knocked off by a Klitschko for the amount of money that **** would be paid. 1 from me. He cares more about raising his profile by slagging off the Klitschkos to earn more money for him and his boyfriend Adam Booth fighting bums than he does about his legacy. David Haye symbolises everything that is wrong with boxing at this present time. At least Povetkin had the balls to admit he wasn't ready to fight a Klitschko; Haye is just an utter gobshite and a coward. I would've given him at least a little bit of credit if he used his loud mouth tactics to arrange a fight with someone half decent (Chambers, Adamek, Povetkin), but he seems to have just disappeared off the radar, lapping up all the praise and love from the average casual boxing fan because he is 'heavyweight champion of the world' - "what do you mean he's a *****? He beat that giant... I don't know his name... Goliath is it? But he beat him so he must be the best". You can bet your bottom dollar he'll be fighting Harrison next. That's after he comes out and blames both the Klitschkos for a fight not happening, slags them off some more and uses the Klitschkos fighting Peter and Briggs to justify him fighting that useless waste of space Harrison.
I had tremendous respect for Haye after the Maccranelli ass beating...and thought he was going to be the heavyweight savior....but we see now he's a coward whose bark is mch louder than his bite. I would rate my respect for Haye as a (-5)...just above Floyd Mayweather.