For fun, this is Wlad tearing Haye a new one...

He just wants to get a few quid in the bank before he takes on a VERY risky fight with a Klitscho. He's made 1 (1!!) defence of his WBA belt, I can't name another major unification fight where one of the champs has only made a single defence prior to the big fight yet people are whinging about this not happening in 2010.

Its not that big a deal, if it happens in 2011 or 2012 who cares? Was Leonard-Hearns a worse fight for happening in 1981 instead of 1980? Was Don Curry less of a champ for not fighting McCrory in 1984 yet beating him in 1985?

<end rant>

 

Whatever...he's a twat

 

And Hatton used to be the twat. The target moves and life goes on......

 

Yeah...and...and..

So are Froch and Khan

 

I expected something new. Not rehashing of months old videos or comments. That's my whole point

 

Have a word :yep

 

To be fair Haye is a different case, not only because of his constant trash talking.

Plus this fight should have happened in 2009 (it was signed and we all know what happened there!!) so people are entitled to be frustrated with him if they wish.

Finally, the current HW division is about as weak as it gets, there were plenty of other opponents for the likes of Leonard and Hearns to face.

 

Then we're back to the "he lied to us" :| line. Yes, he bullshitted the fans to try and get a shortcut to a title shot, now he has a belt he has other options.....can we get over it? Some of the posts made by (presumably) grown men have been nothing short of pitiful.

You wouldn't be saying that if you were around at the time though would you? Its only with the benefit of hindsight that you can see the wait for Leoanrd-Hearns was no big deal.

At the time you'd be probably be going mental that Hearns spent 12 months defending against the unproven 15-0 Luis Primera who had never fought outside of Venezuela, the 10-9-2 Pablo Baez and the former Leonard, Benetiez and Cuevas victim Randy Shields (38-6-1) instead of unify against Leonard.

 

Not at all.

I'm entitled to my opinion just like you are - it's just that we happen to completely disagree on this one.

The fact that Haye didn't exactly back up his boasts or whatever is largely irrelevant, I speak purely as a boxing fan, and would have liked to have seen Haye fight Wlad last year (or this) - and given his actions since then feel entitled to criticise him.

People like yourself have no doubt seen it all before and are most likely past caring and just wait for the fights to happen, if it does.....

If it does, then fair play to him I guess - it's his career.

 

Then why bring up the trash talking if its largely irrelevant?

We would all have liked to see Haye fight Wlad over the last 18 months and you are perfectly entitled to criticise him for not doing it but all this crap about he should retire, he's a disgrace to the sport and embarrassment to the flag is ridiculous and most of seems to come from people who are pissed off because they were daft enough to believe that Haye was somehow different from 99% of the boxers out there at the moment.

Fair enough, make your point that you are unhappy with what he's gone but keep a bit of perspective over whats happened and understand that there are valid reasons (that you may not agree with) why Haye has taken this path. Judge him when his career has ended and you can see if and how the situation resolved itself.

 

Nah, **** him.

Take him to the gallows

 

Well this is a bad sign. So far Gaz you've been preaching that people shouldn't jump the gun and assume that Haye will fight Harrison before he announces it.

Now you just seem to be straight up defending him taking Harrison. Why the change in tact, do you believe now that it will happen?

 

No mate, not jumping the gun and defending Haye fighting Harrison are two completely different things and I've not changed my opinion on either subject.

On jumping the gun: All along I've said its not worth getting worked up about Harrision-Haye until its either announced or someone more impartial than Harrison or his management team say its going to happen.

On defending Haye fighting Harrison I've never defended it, all I've ever done is say I can understand the reasons why it might happen and that in the greater scheme of things it won't be the first or last time in boxing history that a champ makes a couple of easy, money spinning, defences before taking on a unification fight.

 

Ya that's fair enough, just wondering, since I hadn't seen you talk about waiting for an official announcement in a while, if you were now starting to think that the fight happening was a foregone conclusion.

Also, just to add to the Leonard/Hearns comparison, that this was a good case where the 2 top guys in the division eventually did fight. I'm sure we could find tons of examples where two fighters dance around each other for a while but never get it on in the ring, or that by the time they do fight one of them was well past his best.

Hopefully this doesn't go that way.