 Bernd Boente |
That is, of course, if Haye actually shows up, unlike the last two times he was supposed fight a Klitschko, first Wladimir and later Vitali. (I'm joking, so relax all you sensitive Brits. I expect him to be there this time.)
Make no mistake, Klitschko-Haye is a big one. And it's about time. The fight has been several years in the making. Finally, it's here.
It's finally Haye's time to put up or shut up after all the yapping he's done. If he can deliver a victory, he will have made his point.
And for Klitschko, despite a tremendous career that includes a 1996 Olympic gold medal, two title reigns, the unification of two belts and nine utterly dominant defenses during his current reign (including eight by knockout and one by virtual shutout decision), he still has not gotten the respect he deserves, at least not in the U.S. With a win over Haye -- Klitschko is predicting his 50th career knockout -- he should silence those critics.
The world will be watching, but what next? There have been so few meaningful heavyweight fights in recent years -- partly because the Klitschko brothers are dominant and won't, for obvious reasons, fight each other to unify their belts -- and after this one is over, there aren't any other "big ones" on the horizon. (Vitali's Sept. 10 fight with Tomasz Adamek is a nice fight, but not even close to the level of Wladimir-Haye.)
Haye says whether he wins or loses this fight, he's retiring at the end of the year. I don't know anyone who actually believes him, but maybe, just maybe, he'll do it. Imagine a fighter claiming the legitimate championship and then simply vacating it? That would be bad for the sport, for sure.
And if Klitschko wins, it will be another line on his obvious Hall of Fame résumé. But after Haye, who the heck is there for him to fight? Nobody very interesting, that's for sure.
So savor and enjoy Saturday's big fight. We might not see another heavyweight showdown of its magnitude for years to come.
Haye’s Trainer: Judges Not an Issue, KO Ending Expected
