Right first off I like David haye and he was a top cruiserweight but I think somehow a myth has developed that he was a great cruiserweight Haye has great ability is very athletic and carrys real power,but his exciting fights at cruiser on the whole haven't transferred up to heavy And that is what haye was for me an exciting top cruiser,I've read people saying he was the second best in its excistance behind Holyfield or that he stayed at the weight he would still be a unified champ I feel this is an exaggerated myth that haye somehow always creates and I'm talking boxing fans being convinced here not casual fans In fact I'd argue that marco huck and Johnny nelson have been better all time cruisers than haye,and I expect a lot of opposition here
Very exciting Cruiserweight, he had to adjust his style towards the giants but still put on solid displays against the likes of Barrett, Ruiz & Chisora. Valuev is an underrated fight, he and booth stuck to a gameplan and it successfully came through. He's a top 5 Crusierweight ATG. It's not a myth, a lot of the Classic posters view it the same also considering it's still a young division.
But he didn't have the longevity of many others despite the division being young and that to me matters He was euro champ and had a couple of notable wins,blasted out enzo who has since gone on to show his vulnerabilities even at domestic level and came from behind to beat mormeck in France who although a very good cruiser was a average heavyweight
Shame he didn't hang around for the Cunningham, but thats the only criticism I can give to a Cruiser Haye.
I agree with the OP, I like Haye but... To me Haye was still on his way up, Mormeck his first big test at the level (Thompson aside obviously), I thought he was still inexperienced and perhaps not ready. He came through that fight after a scare. Then he bombed Maccarinelli out (and that form line hasn't held up well), and was proclaimed as the undisputed Cruiser champion and gradually proclaimed an all time great at the weight. He didn't actually DO a lot to earn that IMO...
But his performances after moving up in weight have no bearing on his cruiser achievements David haye will probaly go down as a world class boxer who should have accepted more challenges and been more active and he could of been great I am not questioning his credentials as a good fighter but I am questioning his status as a great cruiser
I think it's fair to say that Guillermo Jones has also surpassed Haye's accomplishments at CW now. Even more so impressive that he took out prime Lebedev in style at the age of 41, stunning. Haye should probably consider going back to CW and see if he can add to his two World title wins thus far.
I think top 5 cruiser is effectively rubbish Just because he moved up after should have no bearing on his record other than he didn't lose his title in the ring There are numerous good cruiser champions who haven't been on I'm a celebrity or played the mainstream press like haye has
there hasn't really been a great deal going on at Cruiserweight though. so make of it what you will... Fragomeni Enzo Mac Mormeck Gurov a handful of good wins there, but not really something to shout about. he did bring unrivaled excitement at the Weight, there is no question about that. but for him being a great fighter at the Weight i'd just take with a pinch of salt. the division is young. had he of been able to fight at Cruiser and not struggle with the Weight, then yes, he'd still be champ now. i don't agree about Nelson and Huck being more proven either. especially Nelson. he fought the biggest selection of bums you could find. and Huck is still going due to dodgy judging, not because he's a great fighter. he'd of lost his title a long time ago if it weren't for the robberies. i still have the Lebedev fight as the worst robbery i have ever seen. and i've seen a **** load of robberies in my time. so i rate Haye a lot higher than those two. H2H he'd of hurt both of them on a serious level.
H2h haye could of been the best But we will never know,he definitely could be vulnerable but was much more willing to engage at cruiser Nelson had a few poor defences granted and huck has had tight decisions but might point wasn't h2h it was cruiserweight records and for me huck and nelson who both have good wins coupled with longevity mean they take it You could add mormeck Cunningham g jones to that list as well,mormeck had some great wins,Cunningham was up and down but a major player and jones has been going for ever This is only due to them being more established at the weight but that's the point,cruiserweight great is the point being discussed
Agree with the view that the cruiser division is so young and lacking in depth that it isn't a great yardstick for measuring greatness.
i'd rather be the man that became THE champ at the weight with opposition that mattered in double quick time, over someone like Nelson who fought a load of crap over a long period of time. it's all down to the substance. Nelson doesn't have any. Huck has lost a fair few in his time, so his longevity doesn't come into it. anyone can fight at home and be the receiver of dodgy decisions. he's good, but slightly fraudulent. Haye has the genuine substance for me. all clear cut wins. all by KO.
Haye would beat Huck and Nelson I feel prime for prime. Nelson's reign was absolutely abysmal as is his record when you actually look at it. Haye didn't really have the opposition around to prove it but he was definitely the number 1 of a weak division. He absolutely sparked the then unbeaten Enzo too in brutal fashion. He did all he could apart from the Thompson blemish when he fought like a novice and got the tactics all wrong. He deserves credit for travelling to face Mormeck too and getting the win.