OnThEGRiND BoXiNG

Saturday, May 30th 2009
By Alex McIntyre - OnThEGRiND BoXiNG Scotland

The match up with a biblical twist is almost upon us with the highly anticipated clash between IBF/WBO Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitshcko and Former WBC,WBO and Ring Magazine Cruiserweight Champion David Haye. This modern day take on the classic story of David and Goliath took a poignant twist when David Haye appeared in the December 2008 issue of Men's Health Magazine with the severed head of Wladimir Klitshcko in a Reservoir Dogs style salute to the original tale, which of course ended with the savage decapitation of the great champion of the Philistines.

The actions of Haye so enraged the Champion and his brother, that Vitali himself vowed to take action in an attempt to avenge his brother's honor. The plan by Haye to get under the skin of Wladimir had worked so well that he now had an additional Klitshcko to contend with. At a midnight meeting in Germany, Haye and Manager Adam Booth thrashed out a deal for David to meet Vitali for his version of the Heavyweight Title leaving many observers believing that Haye had picked on the wrong brother. However only weeks later, the WBC in their infinite wisdom scuppered Vitali's plans for revenge by ordering the mandatory defense of his Title against number 1 ranked contender Juan Carlos Gomez, putting Wladimir back into the mix once again.

Wladimir has reigned at the top of the division for five years now. After suffering some early career setbacks, which still ensure that his chin is not mistaken for the granite variety, he set about rebuilding his career. With Emanuel Steward leading the way, his style has been honed in such a way that it is now almost impossible to get through with anything that is likely to trouble him. He is a thinking fighter with an incredible jab that looks to have come straight out of the Lennox Lewis school.

He has tremendous power in both hands but seems reluctant at times to fully display that power, preferring instead to methodically break down his opponents with a safety first approach that has left him unbeaten in his last ten fights. The problem Wlad faces though, is that while this style has brought him much success over the last few years, it’s also brought him his fair share of critics who continue to argue that his robotic and boring style coupled with his lack of a career defining win, could potentially harm his legacy.

David Haye on the other hand is a big hitting knockout artist with only one of his 23 bouts having gone the distance. After traveling to Paris to upset WBC Cruiserweight Champ Jean-Marc Mormeck back in late 2007, Haye laid down his plans to step up to Heavyweight and save the division, promising to “Knock out all those fat lazy bums” that in his words were, “A disgrace to the sport.” The small matter of a cruiserweight Unification clash with long time rival Enzo Maccarinelli proved to be only a minor distraction, as Haye blasted his welsh foe out in under 2 rounds.

Opinions are divided on whether David Haye can live up to the hype he has generated. He is not new to spending time on the canvas himself, after being downed several times in his short career. In many fans eye’s he has done little to deserve a shot at the Title, and just won’t be able to live with the almost machine like Klitshcko. Haye though has supreme confidence in his ability and has talked and harassed his way into the minds of the Klitshckos. This three fight deal for all intents and purposes, may very well make or break Haye’s career.

This fight has already put something of a spark back into the lifeless division and given fans of the heavyweight boxing scene something to get genuinely excited about. It’s a mouthwatering match up between two superb athletes in the prime of their lives. With huge knock out power and seemingly weak chins in equal measures, there’s sure to be one almighty collision when they take to the ring on June 20th…and that’s what makes this fight such an exciting proposition.