The Wait is Over: Chisora – Haye Preview

The time for talking is over.

Dereck Chisora against David Haye is finally here. 

Everyone knows how the fight has come about and everyone knows about the controversy with the BBBoC. That’s all out the way now.

The build up has gone smoothly. So has the weigh-in. (Maybe that fence can take some credit for that).

Now it’s time to fight, time to finish this rivalry for good.

And to be honest, I’m struggling to pick a winner right now.

Haye has won world titles, been in there with the better Klitschko, is faster and is definitely the better athlete.

Chisora is  has lost his last 3 but is more durable, has the better chin and is a natural heavyweight.

So how does this fight play out? The fact the fight is only scheduled for 10 rounds might have a huge impact.

Chisora is a slow starter and if Haye comes out the blocks quickly, he could catch Del-Boy and that would be all she wrote. Chisora does have a great chin but he hasn’t fought anyone who has that type of explosive power that Haye possess.

Alternatively, Haye could just use his reach and height advantage to box his way to an unanimous decision.

So I do think Haye has the better options going into this fight. I don’t think Chisora can out-box or blast him out of there.

For Chisora to really stand a chance, he has to be bang on from the jump.

He has to use his head movement as he walks Haye down and once he’s in range, jump on him and unload punches to the body, really pressure Haye. But he has to make sure he has good head movement because if he doesn’t, Haye will catch Chisora as he walks in.

If the fight was 12 rounds, I’d probably back Chisora on points because he gets stronger as a fight wears on but seeing as it’s only the 10 rounds, I think it plays into Haye’s hands.

At this point, I’ve change my mind about 100 times and I’ll probably change it 100 more before the first bell rings.

But I’ll stick my neck out here and go for a David Haye win, via points.

Be sure to check below to see all the build-up the fight:

Episode 1:

Episode 2:

Episode 3:

Weigh-in:

Chisora-Haye: Grudge match confirmed

British fight fans have finally got their wish. The grudge match between Derek Chisora and David Haye
has been confirmed for July 14 at Upton Park.

Haye and Chisora famously brawled at a press conference in Munich following Chisora’s points loss to Vitali Klitschko. That “memorable” video can be see below.

Following the press conference brawl, Chisora boxing license was revoked by the BBBoC while Haye hasn’t held a boxing license since retiring following his points decision loss to Wladimir Klitschko.

The fight has been sanctioned (I’m not quite sure how) by the Luxembourg Boxing Federation.

An all British clash, held in Britain sanctioned by the Luxembourg Boxing Federation. I’m not quite sure how it works but I’m not complaining.

The build up is going to be electrifying and hopefully we’ll end up with a main event that is worth it and not the dud that was with Haye’s previous two fights (Wladimir and Fraudley Harrison).

There is clearly animosity between the pair, with the a steel fence having to be placed between them during the entire press conference and as they faced-off. (pictured below)

Below is a video of the full press conference (courtesy of iFilmLondon) between Derek Chisora and David Haye.

I won’t be making a prediction just yet, I’ll wait until nearer the fight for that but this is a chance for you guys to say how you feel.

Who do you think will win? Who do you want to win? Do you agree that this fight should take place? And if you don’t think it should, please tell us why you think that.

Imtech Arena to host Haye-Klitschko

Klitschko v Haye: Finally on

David Haye’s long awaited unification bout with Wladimir Klitschko will finally take place in Hamburg on July 2nd.

The fight will take place at the Imtech Arena, home to Hamburg FC, where Haye will take on the WBO and IBF champion almost two years after the fight was originally scheduled but cancelled due to Haye pulling out with a back injury.

Haye has been baiting the Klitschko brothers ever since stepping up to the heavyweight division and will now have his chance to prove to everyone that he is as good as he says he is. There is no doubt the Klitschko brothers have been angered by Haye’s continuous taunts and Wladimir will head into this fight more pumped up than ever.

This fight promises to be a fantastic clash and with Wladimir admitting that he wants’ to knock Haye out, we could well see a different approach from the usually conservative champion.

This is a massive chance for Wladimir to silence a lot of experts and fans who have been critical of his choice of opponents and style of fighting. We all know Wladimir has been down before so the question is; will he have enough to deal with Haye’s speed and power?

We all know what this fight means to David Haye. If he wins it goes someway to cementing his legacy in the sport, lose and he’ll probably be remembered for being a loud mouth who knocked out Audley Harrison. Will Haye have enough tactical nous and skill to penetrate the Wladimir jab?

One thing is for sure; the build up to fight promises to be explosive.

Froch: A free agent

WBC Super Middleweight Champion: Carl Froch

Carl Froch has officially confirmed his split from Hennessy Sports promotions.

There have been rumours for weeks but the WBC super middleweight champion has confirmed the split from long time promoter Mick Hennessy.

I’ve been a long time fan of Carl Froch and firmly believe this could be the best thing to happen to him. For one reason or the other, Froch has not received the backing from British fans or TV stations, while the likes of David Haye, Amir Khan and even Audley Harrison have received fantastic backing from the TV stations.

Froch has admitted he’ll promote himself for his next two fights, which are already mapped out in the Super Six tournament, but once that is over I believe one of the big UK boxing promoters should step in and sign Froch up. He is a fantastic fighter who never backs down from a challenge and is always in exciting fights; he is a promoters dream in my eyes.

If I was Ricky Hatton, I’d be straight on the phone to Carl and sign him up. He is just the sort of fighter Hatton needs to help his promotion company; he could be their star name.

And Hatton could do wonders for Froch too. Hatton is probably the most popular British boxer in history and his popularity could definitely help Froch gain the wider exposure he deserves.

Whatever happens, I really hope Froch does get some better exposure because he has been greatly under appreciated by British fans for far too long.

Tony Dodson: It’s my time

Dodson: My time

It seems an age since we last saw the likeable Tony Dodson, so The Sweet Science UK sat down with Dodson to discuss his future plans in the sport and who he thinks will be the next British star.

The last time we saw Dodson in the ring, was earlier this year in the unforgettable light-heavyweight version of Prizefighter.

Sadly for Dodson things didn’t work out as he planned, who looked fantastic up until a cut cruelly forced him out.

“Yeh, I haven’t boxed since. I’ve just had to let my cuts heal.

“There is no doubt that I would have gone on to win that tournament. I was boxing great and I was far to experience for Travis (Dickinson) and that counts for a lot. You only need to see my previous fights to know I would have beaten him.

“But since the Prizefighter, I’ve just been ticking over and trying to stay in shape. I’m just looking forward to fighting again to be honest.”

Dodson will be looking to face Darren Stubbs for the English title after he officially moved up to the light-heavy weight division, which he believes is the right division for him.

“Hopefully this fight will take place at the end of May.

“I should have moved up to this weight like five years ago. I have no doubts that I’ll win a title here, I’m made for this weight class.

“The overall goal is just to keep winning, working myself up those rankings and if a title shot comes; I’m going to grab it with both hands.”

Talk soon turned to the state of British boxing and the next few fights of our current stars, with Dodson giving us his opinion and prediction.

James DeGale v George Groves:

“I think Groves will beat DeGale via KO.”

Amir Khan v Paul McCloskey:

“Khan will win inside 6 rounds.”

Nathan Cleverly v Juergen Braehmer:

“Cleverly’s fight is the toughest by far but I think he has the tools to beat this guy either by late stoppage or points.”

He also predicted previous opponent Carl Froch to win the Super Six tournament and declared Froch a “class act”.

“When I was growing up I looked up to Tyson but now it’s the likes of David Haye and Carl Froch. They’re the best at what they do. They’re so professional when it comes to the training and the way the hold themselves in public. Real role models.”

Dodson also predicted Martin Murray to become Britain’s next big boxing star.

“Murry is world class and a proper nice fella.”

Vitali on standby

Vitali could step in

The Klitschko brothers are at it again as Vitali Klitschko is on standby to take over from David Haye if younger brother Wladimir is ruled out.

The Klitschko brothers are known for being master match-makers and coming up with these unbelievable contracts where the ball is always in their court.

Now some of you might believe it is their choice and right as they are the champions but if Haye has to sign a contract with Wladimir that states if he is unable to make the fight and Vitali can step in, then the boxing world has really gone to cloud cuckoo land.

The contract that was drawn up for fellow Brit challenger Derek Chisora was laughable enough (if he beat Wladimir, he would have to fight Vitali in his second fight and give Wladimir a re-match) but this really would take the biscuit.

Personally I think that Haye should fight either one of them, his legacy wouldn’t be secure as a heavyweight without either fight. He would just be known as the man who beat up on Audley Harrison for a round.

I believe that if Haye signs a contract to fight Wladimir and then for some odd reason Wladimir cannot make the fight, then he should be stripped of his title. He pulled out of two proposed fights with Derek Chisora and hasn’t fought, let alone defended his title since he beat Samuel Peter back in September of last year (which again was a joke of a fight).

Then there should be a separate contract drawn up for Haye-Vitali. But we all know that Haye will have to sign the contract for Wladimir stating that Vitali can step in if he is injured because Haye needs this fight. Don’t get me wrong, the Klitschkos’ need it too but Haye more so.

He was the one that was supposed to light up the heavyweight division, bringing back the glamour. Heck, Golden Boy Promotions are even behind him. But the sad thing is, and something people seem to forget is, Haye says he’ll retire by his 31st birthday.

So even if he does unify the division, once Haye turns 31 the belts will go right back to the Klitschkos’ and the division will be back to normal.

The contracts have yet to be signed, with talks between managers Adam Booth and Bernd Boente, so there will be plenty of twists and turns left in this tale. That is one thing I’m certain of.

Keep checking back for the latest information regarding this heavyweight clash.

Have your say below.

Haye v Klitschko confirmed

Klitschko v Haye: Finally on

After months of wrangling, the much-anticipated heavyweight clash between WBA heavyweight champion David Haye and IBF and WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko finally looks set to take place this summer.

Negotiations between the two parties have been on-going for months, collapsing on at least two occasions that the public are aware of, with both parties blaming each other for the collapse which has led to a lot of animosity between the two camps.

But both parties seem to have settled any disputes with the contracts and look set to meet either June 25 or July 2, with the bout likely to take place at one of three football stadiums in Germany – Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen or Kaiserlautern – after the Klitschko confirmed the UK has been ruled out.

The Klitschko management team has also confirmed the bout could take place somewhere across Europe.

Yet one key issue in regard to this fight is the contract that David Haye has signed.

If Wladimir cannot make the fight due to injury – he has pulled out of his last two fights against fellow Brit Derek Chisora – and so long as he pulls out three days before the fight, elder brother Vitali Klitschko, who holds the WBC heavyweight championship, could step in and fight Haye.

Watch the fan made video below to help build the excitement to this long awaited clash:

Hayemaker Promotions calls out rivals

Hayemaker Promotions

George Groves has called out long-term rival James Degale in a bid to get the fight on, following his win over Daniel Allotey on Saturday night.

Groves, along with manager and trainer Adam Booth, told Sky Sports: “I’ve told everyone before, it’ll be a Groves win. Whether it be by knock-out or points, I don’t really care. He knows I’ve got his number.”

Adam Booth, who also manages and trains WBA heavyweight champion David Haye, has also hinted that the long-awaited fight between Haye and Wladimir Klitschko is very close to being a done deal.

Booth told Sky Sports: “We’re very, very close. Everything seems to be doing better than ever at the moment. I’m going to wait a few days because there is going to be a lot happening.”

Both fights, if confirmed, would excite the British public as well as the wider boxing world, in an age when so many big fights seem to collapse during the negotiation period. (i.e. Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.)

Below is the full post-fight interview with George Groves and Adam Booth.