Why fans bought into David Haye

Exactly.

I think what people fail to understand, is that the role of heavyweight champion is far different to any other champion. There's an expectancy from the heavyweight champion - he's supposed to be the baddest, toughest, hardest, most vicious man walking the earth. Even genuine nice guys like Lewis or Patterson or Louis would go in for the kill when they had an opponent clearly outclassed or hurt. Look at Wlad/Chambers. Chambers was hurt early on and he was doing absolutely nothing. Wlad, if he was like any other champion, would have given him both barrels but he didn't. He kept it safety first, outboxing him with jabs until he had the fight truly in the bag. Without Steward to harrass him in the corner, he wouldn't have gone for the KO. In the end, he got it but it wasn't a performance of a heavyweight champion. It was a performance you'd expect from a light hitting bantamweight or something, not a knockout artist who has huge size advantages over his opponent. How about Vitali/Briggs? Another completely outclassed opponent who was getting hurt more and more as the fight went on and all Vitali needed to do was step it up. Throw a few more combinations and get Briggs out of there, either by knocking him out, the ref jumping in or the corner deciding enough was enough. Vitali didn't do that. He was content to win on points even though he had a one-armed, well past his peak, asthmatic fighter in front of him who was capable of doing nothing.

Like I said, the role of a heavyweight champion is different. He has to have a cruel streak about him and I don't think the Klitschko's do. Fans was that brutality or ruthlessness which is sorely lacking. In the public eye, the division has gone soft because of these performances. In fact, it was Wlad's safety first performance against Ibragimov which kept MSG from holding boxing for a long time and it was later performances which pushed HBO not just away from his fights, but the entire division. How can anyone who is objective look at the apathy the division has got in recent years and say the Klitschko's are good for the division?

If you want to understand the important of the heavyweight division, look at boxings biggest rival: The UFC. I guarantee that any time you see an argument in the mainstream press between boxing and MMA, they always mention the heavyweight division, mocking it, asking "Who is the champion?". The press don't respond by saying "We have two well educated brothers, who are nice guys. One has a few losses but is a great puncher and a nice guy. The other is a politician out of the ring and tough in it. Like his brother, he's a nice guy too. Oh, did I mention they're nice guys?". Nobody gives a **** about that. The division has become a laughing stock and leverage for the UFC to get one over on boxing.

And if you look at the UFC even more, why has it become popular? It's got attention because of how vicious and brutal the endings are. That's what brings the fans in and it's the result they want to see, whether it's a submission or knockout. It's what every fight fan across the world wants to see. As humans, we have a blood thirsty streak inside us and want to see a guy get knocked out. Sure, you can praise the Klitschko's performances as being "dominant" but nobody is interested in "dominant" is the next description you use is "but boring". Fight fans was brutal knockouts. Bones being broken, blood and a guy ending up face first on the mat.

The Klitschko's just don't deliver that.

Like I said, it's undeniable that the division is at it's lowest point and this is the reason why. What the heavyweight champion should deliver, neither Klitschko will.

 

Yes, but nobody else gets close to the attention that Haye does.

 

So you admit that with "former communist boxers" comes extreme boredom that nobody gives a **** about?

I know why the division is loaded with them. I just don't believe they're good for the sport and it's not a race issue, it's about entertainment. Not one of those 15 boxers from former communist countries is entertaining.

In fact, do me a favour. Which fight, involving two eastern European fighters, is the best of all-time? And who are the top 10 most entertaining eastern European boxers of all time?

 

Do you seriously think Vitali was going all out in the last four rounds? Do you not agree he had another gear which he didn't use?

I'm not saying Briggs didn't take a beating - He did, but it doesn't change the fact that Vitali could have done more against an opponent with no chance.

 

What race card is this? I've never played the race card and I'm baffled as to why you think I would. I've never made any racist or derogatory remarks and I wouldn't either. I'm white myself, by the way, which makes your point even more absurd.

 

Jirov was, yes. I liked him a lot as a fighter. Tszyu, again, he was a good, aggressive fighter with plenty of killer instinct. Adamek is a warrior and I have no fault against him. Pirog? Bizarre choice.

You didn't disprove what I was saying. Let me ask: Do you think eastern Europeans have a more or less aggressive style that, for example, western Europeans, north American's or south American's?

My point is related to the safety first attitude. Something Wlad himself has referred to. What I'm saying is accepted by the boxing community and it's not an insult against these guys, it's just fact. Wlad mentioned it and so has Steward, several times. I'm not having a go at the safety first fighters, I'm just pointing out that it's the style they are accustomed to.