Haye fans: what do you see in the Barrett fight that leads you to believe that your guy is the favorite to beat Wlad? I asked this a couple of times in another thread and no one answered.
The speed of his punches and the fact that grazing shots were enough to put Barrett down time and time again? I'm a Haye fan and I'm hoping that his hand-speed will be Wlad's un-doing.
Right, I don't think he's the favourite, but here's what i see in the Barrett fight. 1 - The ability to hurt a legit heavyweight with a single punch. One punch knockout power against a legit heavyweight, proving to the world his power has travelled up from Cruiserweight. Barrett was a really game opponent intent on causing the upset, but he got overpowered by an ex-cruiserweight. Absolutely destroyed. Haye threw tactics out of the window and went toe-to-toe with Barrett, and he won coz of his superior handspeed and knockout power. I know Barrett's not a giant super-heavyweight like Klitschko, but he does have a good chin, something that Wlad does not. Haye demonstrated he has enough power to KTFO of Wlad. 2 - The ability to slip and counter a jab. Barrett was hitting thin air with his jab all night, something he's certainly not used to. I can't remember the last time there was a guy at Heavyweight quick enough to slip a jab and counter off it, but we saw it that night. 3 - Heart. Haye has a lot of heart, he fought against a really tough veteran campaigner in a brutal, scrappy, no-holes barred kind of fight, and he won through. It was a tough test and Barrett was more than just a journeyman opponent, he had come to win, and I think that Haye showed a lot of heart in standing in the centre of the ring and trading with him.
I'm rooting for Haye...but I'm not super confident at all. Wlad can punch hard to and has proven pedigree at Heavyweight...yeah his beard is suspect...but so is Hayes. To me this is simply the most exciting fight in the heavyweight division right now. It may well be that Haye proves to be hype and gets blown out early....but on the other hand he may just KO Wlad early too!! Because Hayes only had 1 fight since stepping up into this division he's an unknown quantity. A real who lands first this one! This is a dont blink fight or you may miss the KO punch and you'll be on the edge of your seat all the way through the fight however long that happens to be!