Wladimir Klitschko will have nearly a 30lb advantage over David Haye, after the WBA champion from London scaled 15st 2¾ lb at Friday afternoon’s weigh-in for Saturday’s world heavyweight title bout in Hamburg. Klitschko, the WBO, IBF and IBO champion, scaled 17st 4½lb.
Some British fans had queued up more than eight hours before the weigh-in began at a sports store in the centre of Hamburg.
Several hundred fans could not get in due to the huge number of Haye’s vocal supporters, several in costume, that crammed the fifth floor of Karstadt Sports for the brief ceremony.
“I never planned to come in at any particular weight,” Haye said. “I trained really, really hard. I’ve eaten really well, I haven’t cut any corners or eaten any junk food, so this is my ideal weight.”
The two boxers had to be separated again after their lengthy staredown and Haye broke off with a volley of abuse for the Ukrainian. “It wasn’t nice,” Haye said. “I wasn’t telling him I loved him, put it that way.”
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The bout is a career-defining one for Haye, who stood by his pledge to retire this year, and the Londoner did not attempt to play down what is the most eagerly awaited pairing since Lennox Lewis fought Mike Tyson in 2002.
“This is the biggest fight in boxing, plain and simple,” Haye said. “I think the only fight that could match it is Floyd Mayweather against Manny Pacquiao. Obviously for various reasons their fight has not happened, and won’t happen this year, so this is the biggest fight to happen in boxing by far.
“I’m so proud to be involved in it and to be the guy that knocks the other unconscious is going to be a great feeling, to be the main man, at the pinnacle of the heavyweight division.
“I believe being the unified heavyweight champion is the pinnacle of the sport and I’m looking forward to going in there and claiming my rightly deserved titles.”
If Haye delivers on his insistence that he will knock out Klitschko, he will become only the fourth man to do so in the Ukrainian’s 58-bout career. Haye has been unremitting in his efforts to wind up his opponent but Klitschko said it had not worked.
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“I’m just more focused,” Klitschko said. “I really enjoy being around David Haye, I really enjoy the press conference and stuff because it’s such an exciting time in my life.
“To have such attention, such an opponent and such a buzz around it. I’m actually not taking that much of it in. I’m angry for the last three years but it has transformed into concentration and motivation now.”
Meanwhile, the three judges for the bout have been announced. They are Michael Pernick and Adalaide Byrd, of the United States, and Stanley Christoudolou, of South Africa.
Genaro Rodriguez, of the US, is still expected to be the referee, despite objections from Haye’s team. Adam Booth, Haye’s trainer, has objected to Rodriguez because he has previously refereed four of Wladimir Klitschko’s title bouts and two of his brother Vitali’s title bouts.