Why fans bought into David Haye

He's the only fighter to ever drag a good bout of John Ruiz. Even Holyfield couldn't do that. Sure, the Valuev fight was quiet but it wasn't horrible. The Harrison bout was poor but he stopped him very early, so it's not a big problem. I enjoyed the Barrett fight.

Compare that to recent heavyweight clashes and it's like watch Bobby Chacon.

Haye is extremely charismatic. By far the most charismatic champion in recent years.

 

Did you even read my post? I wasn't saying it was a great win or anything, just that it was a good fight.

 

It's undoubtedly helped both the Klitschko's and the division as a whole. Like I said, people can talk **** about Haye or praise him to the moon but the fact is, they are talking about him. Regardless of whether it's a positive or negative story, he brings interest and discussion points to the division which is something that both Klitschko's are incapable of doing. I've been on ESB since the post-Lewis era and I know how lifeless the division has been. Very few fights have been talked about, before or after the eventual bout. Vitali's return was prety big and the Arreola bout had some interest as a Mexican was involved but, by and large, the division has been ignore, just like it has outside of Germany.

Sites like ESB, FN, BS and so on, have been the same. The boxing press has covered the fights, obviously, but there's not been much talk about the division as a whole. The majority of articles have been damning, if anything, and talking about how badly the division has slumped in recent years.

And if anyone has reported the slump, it's the mainstream media. When was the last time you read a positive story about the division? It's incredibly rare. Like I said, look at how the division has been portrayed in comparison with the UFC heavyweight division. Boxings heavyweight division has been used as a perfect example of why the sport is in a slump.

The fact that Haye got fans, non-fans, boxing sites and the mainstream media to care, is what is important. Whether it's good or bad, it's irrelevant - They care and that's ultimately better than the apathy that has been the reaction without Haye. I understand people being dismissive of Haye or frustrated by him, but you just can't deny that he's a breath of fresh air that the division needed.

 

"Klitschko, a native of the Ukraine, kept telling Haye, “You are my creation,”'


He's right about that, anyway. Haye was raised from the festering swamp that the Klitschko brothers have created. Their reign of dull fights has only ensured that a guy like Haye would inevitably come along and people would refer to him as the saviour of the division.

 

You need to stop leaving ESB on your computer...


And, yes, I am a Wlad fan - Purely as a fighter, though. I did once think he was great for the division but that has proven to be wrong. I once thought he'd bring a whole new respect to the belts, but I was wrong. I thought he'd be fair in negotiations and, yet again, I was wrong.

I expected more of Wlad as a person, though as a fighter, I'm still a fan.

 

In fact, CHEF, answer me these three honestly:

1. Has Wlad been great for the heavyweight division?

2. Has he added prestige to the belts?

3. Has he been fair in negotiations?