David Haye aims to unify the world heavyweight title by turning a 12-round bout against Wladimir Klitschko into a sprint.
Haye has run tonight’s world heavyweight title contest over thousands of times in his head but tonight, at the Imtech Arena in Hamburg, he has to turn thoughts into reality. Speed and power are the tools that Haye, the WBA champion, is blessed with and he cannot afford to risk getting into a long slog with the bigger Klitschko, the WBO, IBF and IBO champion.
Haye and Adam Booth, his trainer, are secretive when it comes to their training methods and tactics. Much of the work they do involves visualising eventualities in the bout, enabling Haye to be programmed to react in a certain way. They even have a plan for how to box in the first 30 seconds.
The pair have worked for this bout for 2½ years, since Haye, 30, stepped up to heavyweight, having won the WBC, WBA and WBO titles at cruiserweight. The cancellation of the scheduled meeting in Gelsenkirchen two years ago has merely enabled the plan to be refined.
“Game plans are very detailed,” Haye said. “Every single thing you do, right down to every little foot movement, is rehearsed, it is something that has been done thousands of times in the gym so you do nothing new in the ring, just things you have done time and time again.
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“The plan is similar to two years ago. I’m two years older, two years fitter, two years fighting bigger guys and I’m a different fighter than I was back then, even though then I believed I had what I needed to beat him. He’s improved, too. His opponents have let him improve and he genuinely believes he has what he needs to beat me. That will be taken away pretty quickly.”
The trash talk has been part of the plan, too. Initially, Haye’s remarks towards Klitschko were designed to get him noticed. Lately they have been designed to goad the Ukrainian into a war so he will open up.
This week the focus has turned on Emanuel Steward, Klitschko’s trainer. A member of Haye’s team confronted Steward at Monday’s press conference, questioning his method of wrapping hands, and Haye claimed that Steward had sounded him out about training him to beat Vitali Klitschko, the WBC champion, if Haye beats the younger brother. The aim was to build discontent in Klitschko’s camp.
Haye does not expect the dirty tricks to be over. He will enter the ring first tonight — wearing the navy blue new England away football shirt — and says he would not be surprised if he is made to wait. Matthew Macklin waited in the ring 15 minutes for Felix Sturm in Cologne last weekend. “I’m anticipating anything that they can get away with,” Haye said. “For all Macklin knows, that was Sturm’s plan to take the sting out of his first round. I wouldn’t wait around that long, I’d go back to the changing room.”
Klitschko will have a near-30lb (13.6kg) advantage after Haye scaled 15st 2¾lb at yesterday’s weigh-in. Klitschko was 17st 4½lb. Some British fans had queued up for more than eight hours before the weigh-in began.
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While Haye looked in great shape, there are concerns after it was revealed that he had not sparred in three weeks. “I normally stop sparring nine days before and often spar the Monday before a Saturday fight, despite the risk of injury,” Carl Froch, the WBC super-middleweight champion, said. “The pads are no substitute because they do not punch back.”
Should Haye be victorious tonight, it will rank as the best performance by a British heavyweight in history. While Lennox Lewis had the better career, he met his two best-known opponents — Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield — when they were past their best.
But it is difficult to back Haye with any great confidence, not least because his heavyweight record does not stack up well. Nikolay Valuev was slow and on the slide, John Ruiz lost twice to Valuev and retired afterwards, Audley Harrison put up no resistance and Monte Barrett was knocked down five times by Klitschko in 2000.
Haye’s hopes rely on Klitschko boxing the way Haye wants and while that may work when you see it in your head, reality is often different. If Haye has not hurt Klitschko within four rounds, the task looks desperate. If Klitschko keeps his emotions in check, he can win in the eighth or ninth round.
But if Haye can pull it off, he stands atop the boxing world, with only Vitali as a legitimate rival. Vitali is due to face Tomasz Adamek, of Poland, on September 10, which does not fit in well with Haye’s retirement plans, even if the Londoner’s team feel the bout may have to be scrapped. “Win and they will dance to our tune,” Booth said.
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Genaro Rodriguez, of the United States, was confirmed as the referee, despite protests from Haye’s team. Booth has objected to Rodriguez as he has refereed four of Wladimir’s title bouts and two of Vitali’s. The judges are Michael Pernick and Adalaide Byrd, of the US, and Stanley Christodoulou, of South Africa.
Programme
8.30pm On air: Sky Sports Box Office
8.50pm Supporting bout: Ola Afolabi v Terry Dunstan, 12-round cruiserweight bout
9.50pm David Haye ring walk
10pm First bell
Referee Genaro Rodriguez (US)
Judges Michael Pernick (US); Adalaide Byrd (US); Stanley Christodoulou (SA)