Former Heavyweight Champion Lennox Lewis on Haye’s Chances

　

The UK’s last Unified Heavyweight champion of the world has spoke out on David Haye v Wladimir Klitschko. Lennox Lewis has said he thinks David’s Haye’s best chance of dethroning Wladimir Klitschko is to stick and move and concentrate on quick combinations much in the same way he overcame Nikoli Valuev.

The reaction to this news has been immense and a lot of people saying it is going to be a great deal harder against Klitschko and I agree, Of course Wladimir is not going to walk around the ring at a snails pace catching flies while Haye ducks in and out at his hearts content. Many feel the chances of Haye sustaining 12 rounds and picking up a decision win is even less likely with the fight taking place in Germany. The Valuev fight however was in Germany and maybe the Felix Sturm v Matthew Macklin fight last week may have added more concern to the British boxing fans.

Lewis told BBC radio: “What makes me give Haye a chance is what he did against Valuev. He fought a perfect fight, he kept moving, he stayed elusive and the final round he almost knocked Valuev out. Klitschko has the bigger advantages but David is able to stay with his game plan and throw combinations he should do well”

“If Haye is going to attack Klitschko when he attempts to hold, Haye had better be careful of where he lands his punches because he could find himself in a deep hole.

Sky Sports, keeping with one of the biggest run ups to fight in recent history showed the Haye v Valuev and Vladimir v Peter fights this week and I could not resist having another look. Blatantly forgetting how slow and boring both fights were and did not really do any justice to either fighter.

The important thing was showing Klitschko grabbing and holding which David Haye has often referred to or Haye’s in out tactics that Lennox Lewis spoke of. For me though they had 49 fights to choose from the Klitschko archives that show the effectiveness of his jab and his right straight, or his movement which is simply incredible for a man of Klitschko’s stature.

I agree with Haye about the holding and grabbing but Wladimir controls his opponents and enforces his weight advantage he carries into almost every fight. Wladimir like most great boxer’s claim the centre of the ring but very few claim their opponents too with a “you step in my ring then I own you” type dominance.
The Haye v Valuev fight went as most expected, in/out and whatever you do “Do NOT get hit” and pick up the points. What we did not see was a great deal of Haye’s speed and power, his movement was good and he got the job done.

Now to Haye v Klitschko, who is going to win? You could put on the back of a postage stamp what tools David Haye has to defeat Klitschko and it may probably take a 400 word essay to list all the problems Klitschko will cause David Haye on Saturday night and I am stuck between a rock and a hard place with this one and remain on the fence but it is comfortable here and I like it.