Can Haye make boxing cool again?

Can Haye make boxing cool again?


Stephen Henry

BOXING With feuds and fierce rivalry rife among many of the fights in the heavyweight division in the past, naturally the contests drew huge audiences and many fighters became household names and gained legendary status.
Although the past heavyweight champions who graced the ring such as Muhammad Ali, George Foreman and Mike Tyson have really set colossal standards with their skill and entertainment, no boxer recently has lived up to these standards and, as a result, the division has fell into the chains of mediocrity.
The heavyweight division is crying out desperately for a fighter who enters the ring with the heart of the world on his shoulder, who causes controversy and brings fierce rivalry back to boxing. So what heavyweight boxer will answer the critics who claim the heavyweight division is in tatters, break the chains that seem to subdue the heavyweight division, and bring back the worldwide interest into boxing?
David Haye has some of the hallmarks of some of the legendary boxers, such as his ability to ridicule his opponents, his speed and skill. Haye also packs a good punch, hence his nickname, ‘The Haymaker’ and wherever he goes he is usually closely followed by a trail of controversy.
A good example of this was when he famously wore a t-shirt with him holding the decapitated heads of the Klitschko brothers. Although you could argue intimidating opponents and his name-calling antics before fights don’t show good sportsmanship, they certainly provide entertainment and bring an air of competitiveness to a fight, which can only be a good thing for boxing.
But Haye has only had two heavyweight bouts since he stepped up from cruiserweight last year and while Haye is not old at 29, his early plans to retire at 31 leaves a question about whether he will have enough time to cement his place among the heavyweight boxing’ elite.
Hayes’ recent fight against Valuev didn’t provide the answer to that question, but it did get him on the right road to answering it.
While David Haye did overcome Valuev’s commanding height and power (and he countered it with his speed and skill, dominating most of the fight and coming agonisingly close to becoming the first person to knock out ‘the beast from the east’ in the final round), you could argue the fact that Valuev isn’t the greatest fighter, and at 37 he’s probably starting a downward spiral to retirement.
Nevertheless, a fight against the seven foot giant, Valuev, is far from a walk in the park, but I worry that when Haye inevitably fights the Klitschko brothers, who hold the remaining heavyweight belts. They will prove much sterner opposition to Haye.
David Haye’s first defence of his WBA belt will be against John Ruiz, the mandatory challenger for the WBA title, and then David Haye should be free to start, “cleaning up the division,” as he says himself.
Ruiz shouldn’t ask too many questions of Haye and the real insight as to what will be the spark that reignites the interest in the heavyweight division will come when he faces the Klitsko brothers in an ambitious attempt to unify all the heavyweight belts.

Stephen Henry is a Transition Year student at Sancta Maria, Louisburgh. He wrote this blog while on work experience with The Mayo News.