David Haye

By Bennie

David Haye no longer fears 12 rounds. The right-hand-happy cruiserweight who punched himself out against Carl Thompson developed strength and strength of character as he filled out to heavyweight a couple of years ago. All of a sudden the gangling youngster looked different, all of a sudden the 30-year-old Haye was different, and he chased off a Russian behemoth by the name of Nikolai Valuev to win the WBA heavyweight title last year in Germany, wobbling Valuev in the 12th and last round with a big left hook and taking a unanimous decision. The new David Haye had arrived.
Audley Harrison landed his own big left in the 12th and last round to win the European heavyweight title against Michael Sprott earlier this year in London. The new Audley Harrison? 'Oh yes,' say his long-suffering fans, when we had a virtual replica of Harrison's infamous 12-rounder with Julius Francis many moons ago (and there was more than one moon on the night) as Harrison waited and waited to pull the trigger, then waited some more. Southpaw Harrison only unloaded when he was sure his opponent posed absolutely no threat to him, flooring an overweight, exhausted Francis in the final round to seal a snoozefest of a decision and flattening the tired little Sprott to seal a knockout and a shot at Haye on November 13 in Manchester. Be careful what you wish for.
Harrison, who is 39 next week, faces a man who no longer grows tired, who no longer relies on just the big right hand, who no longer wants to be friends. David Haye is the heavyweight champion of the world and this, for him, is another annoying, marking-time affair like his 10-round stoppage of John Ruiz in Manchester in April, when Haye refused to allow a notorious stinker in the Harrison mould do his thing, busting up the challenger, flooring him four times and punching him to a slow standstill.
I can see the same happening next month. Harrison will run and run and run (he calls it boxing) as Haye picks the big shots, floors him every time he gets through, and forces a stoppage in the middle rounds after yet another knockdown.