Jan 07 2009
Has Klitschko’s U-turn saved Haye’s heavyweight career?
With news reaching us that Vitali Klitschko has decided to fight Juan Carlos Gomez, as mandatory challenger for his WBC heavyweight crown, rather than take the proposed super fight in London against David Haye, has this saved Haye’s career in the heavyweight division before it’s truly began, and spared the British fighter what could have been a very one sided defeat?
The majority of commentators thought Haye’s decision to fight the older Klitschko so early on in his heavyweight career, very ambitious and possibly verging on the foolhardy, given his relative inexperience in the division and the quality of his opponent.
Having only two bouts in among the heavyweight ranks, against relatively mediocre opponents, the Hayemaker has decided to shake up the division and take on the most effective heavyweight we have seen in the last decade.
However, with this news, Haye will be forced to wait for his shot against Vitali and will have to look elsewhere for his next opponent(s). This could be the making of Haye at heavyweight. He can now do what most felt was needed, search out big, rangy fighters, with good jabs, who will pose the Hayemaker similar problems to Klitschko, but not quite as devastating if he gets it wrong.
This will give Haye the experience he needs to deal with the physicality of Klitschko and will leave him in a far better position to truly challenge Vitali when his time does come.
A fight in March in Liverpool now looks likely, as a Hayemaker Promotions event was already planned, however a fight against the younger Klitschko brother, Wladimir, is a distinct possibility for the ever ambitious Haye, and this bout is unlikely to be staged on Merseyside.
Wladimir is not in the same league as Vitali, but would pose some of the same problems as his older brother, and is still a major step up in class for someone as new to the division as the Hayemaker.
Also, with a victory over Klitschko Jr, you can’t help but think Vitali would seek an opportunity to avenge his younger brother and fight Haye himself, something I’m sure is at the forefront of the Hayemaker’s mind.
