Thought this could be a fun matchup. Similar size. Both very athletic but different styles. Norton had a good jab, body shots, and loved to pressure you all night. Haye had fast legs and explosive punches he could throw from odd angles. Does the Hayemaker vanquish the Jawbreaker from Jacksonville...? Or does Norton humble Haye...?
This is hard to predict. Kenny should outpoint him if it goes the distance. But Haye definatelly has more than the punchers chance...
Sometimes you are not entirely sold on teh fighter, but you are totally sold on their power. Haye had sick power, and delivery to back it up. He just lacked other key components, such as endurance. Haye would probably try to end this quickly, and he would very likely sauced. If he doesn't then Norton is taking control.
Haye hit hard and everytime Norton faced a hard puncher he lost, some of which didn't even have close to as much skill as Haye. I'd favor Haye but if he can't knock him out he loses a decision
Maybe I am just in a cranky smartarse mood today LOL, nothing sounds good to me here or really elsewhere, but this one excites me about as much as the prospect of watching bread dough rise. Norton stops him but I don’t feel strongly about it.
You honestly think this would be a boring fight to watch...? I think it ends in a knockout for sure and both guys will be throwing heavy leather.
Like I said I am in a cranky mood today … I just had some unexpected expenses that were an ouch … and I may feel differently tomorrow, but you are presupposing that kind of fight is the kind I would automatically gravitate to. It isn’t.
Frankly, I think this is up to Kenny to lose this fight or not. If he is not careful and gets sloopy with his defense, then Haye can pull a Shavers here. Barring that, Kenny is the more skilled fighter and should win comfortably.
On the surface it looks like Haye had all the right stuff to be the winner here. Problem is I was never very impressed with him save for a few good performances he had at cruiser
I agree. Haye never lit my fire and I have told y’all I was a huge Norton fan in real time but 40 and 50 years down the road as he’s discussed here I just fairly or unfairly hit this deal where I remember that as much of a fan I was the guy always seemed to disappoint me in a sense, like he just couldn’t ever seal the deal to true immortality.
I badly want to pick Norton by KO, and he's one of my favourite heavies with a lot of film on him. I love watching him fight. But I do feel Haye's personality rubbed people so much the wrong way that they undervalue him as a total package. And obviously-OBVIOUSLY-because he didn't have the Holmes or Ali fights that Norton had, we're not judging their legacies as heavyweights here, where there's no real discussion. But I have no problem admitting Haye's explosiveness and angles could be a complete disaster for even the best Norton. But he is a spurt fighter, and his mobility and awkward head movement probably won't do against a similar-height fighter who is a come forward guy with a savage body attack and overhand right puncher. Norton does not get enough credit for his punch selection and disgusting rib punishing. When you combine the body attack with the way he comes over top with so many of his punches, the way he lurches forward, yeah, he can be all wrong for orthodox boxers, and possibly a sitting duck for people who aren't straight-punch-dominant. Haye may find him surprisingly easy and cut him down. Norton might pin Haye down just as easily and bust him up and might make it look easy. I hate how Norton's career played out so that any other good top ten heavyweight with big power seems like they're going to be so live against him, when I judge his overall quality as higher, but that's just trying to be honest with the match-up. It's what we got. I lean toward Haye probably scoring a KO in the first half, and it's a slight lean, but I'm going to say that, today. It's a matter of David probably springing in and clubbing around, under and over Norton's guard while Norton is lurching in, before he himself gets put on the ropes. But God knows.
