19.04.07 – Ahead of his heavyweight debut on April 27, David ‘The Hayemaker’ Haye has issued a stark warning to his Polish opponent Tomasz Bonin. The 26-year-old Haye – currently the number one ranked cruiserweight contender with the WBC – has informed Bonin that he has never before been beaten by an Eastern European opponent – amateur or professional..
“I love boxing guys from Eastern Europe,” Haye says. “I feast on those guys like they’re going out of fashion. While other boxers often avoid the best fighters in Eastern Europe – because of their technical skills and amateur background – I thrive on facing their style. I love chinning Eastern Europeans.”
The 33-year-old Bonin, based in Warsaw, has admitted to knowing all about Haye’s reputation from the amateur ranks. The Polish slugger said last week: “I was in Belfast when David won the World (Amateur Championships) silver medal in 2001 and I’ve followed him ever since. Believe me, I know what I’m dealing with.”
Haye believes him.
“Bonin says he’s seen me box as an amateur and, if that’s the case, he’ll know all about my success against Eastern European heavyweights,” Haye, 18-1 (17 KOs), adds. “I expect Bonin to train like crazy because of this. I’ve actually heard that he’s been knocking out respected European heavyweights left, right and centre in Poland while training for this fight. I fully expect him to be up for this.”
At cruiserweight, Haye famously grabbed the prestigious European title by flattening Ukrainian champion Alexander Gurov in 45 seconds. As a 17-year-old amateur boxer Haye shattered five of 28-year-old Roman Kolvalchuk’s teeth in 1996. Kovalchuk was Russian. It’s fair to say Haye saves his most devastating performances for those fighters from Eastern Europe.
“I honestly don’t know why it is,” he says. “I just enjoy boxing guys with that kind of style. Although they are all very experienced and technically solid, I find ways of breaking their style down with my brain and then breaking them in two with my ‘Hayemaker’.”
Bonin will hope to be the exception when the pair meet at London’s Wembley Arena on April 27. A sturdy, hard-punching contender, currently ranked at number 11 in the world by the World Boxing Council (WBC), Bonin, 37-1 (20 KOs), carries the tools to flash warning signs in Haye’s direction.
“Despite my record against Eastern Europeans, I definitely won’t be taking Bonin lightly,” he admits. “I know that should I get lazy or make a mistake, I will be flat on my back. You don’t get second chances in the heavyweight division. These guys won’t let me off the hook if my concentration wanders.”
For details on how to purchase tickets for Haye-Bonin at London’s Wembley Arena, please call 07885728330.
For more information visit David Haye’s official MySpace page at www.myspace.com/davidhaye