By Joe Mills: Former Undisputed World Cruiserweight champion David Haye triumphed in his first real test at Heavyweight tonight over perennial contender Monte Barrett in five rounds. “2 Gunz” had to scrape himself off the canvas four times before being put down for good in the fifth stanza by the “Hayemaker.”
In front of a packed 02 arena, and a very interested Vitali Klitschko, the WBC Heavyweight king, Haye answered one question that has hung over his 200lb adventure, while leaving another ambiguous. Haye showed in dismantling the extremely capable Barrett that the power that made him a fearsome force at Cruiserweight has joined him in the trip up to Boxing’s banner division. However Monte’s modest power did little to trouble Haye’s questionable chin, this is something that will only be challenged more as David pounds his way through the Heavyweight rankings.
The fight began with Haye trying to bring his patented right-handed “Hayemaker” punch through a solid left jab. Barrett looked unsure of himself as his confident opponent looked to establish himself in an uneventful first session.
The second began with Barrett trying to force through with his jab, and while Haye looked decidedly untroubled by this, it was still Monte Barrett’s wild punches that found marginally more success in the round.
David skilfully evaded a barrage of distant lefts from “2 Gunz” in the third, scoring with a spiteful right after the misses. By this time Haye had figured out the wild style of Barrett, and evaded the shots that came his way before landing a perfectly timed lunging left to knock Monte down. He quickly shook off the setback and burst forward once more only for Haye to put him down with a short right at close range. Haye was teeing off on Barrett at the closing bell, which saved Monte from further punishment.
The fourth begun slowly, but when a rock-hard Haye left hit the target it instilled a renewed sense of urgency in Barrett, but he found only the deck in his over-exuberance after receiving a glancing right. David was now in firm right-hand mode and found the body with a sickening strike before dazing Monte at the end of the round with a right to the jaw for the fight’s fourth knockdown.
Barrett showed his desperation in what transpired to be the final round when he struck a fallen Haye, who had slipped over, while he was on the canvas. Referee Richie Davies’ point deduction meant little as he was forced to wave the fight off moments later when Haye struck with a devastating left-right-left combination to put Barrett down for the final time in what had been a valiant effort from the American, but one that could possibly end his career as a contender in the competitive, if somewhat lacklustre, Heavyweight division.
However for Haye the message is clear, it is either Vitali Klitschko or his brother Wladimir, the IBF/WBO/IBO titlist, in 2009. David Haye can by buoyed by the fact that his outstanding power remains in the land of the giants, and would perhaps be well served taking a tune-up fight while the Klitschko conglomerate clear their calendars of their mandatory obligations, Wladimir fights on 13th December against the unbowed but underskilled Hasim Rahman, while Vitali seems poised to battle Juan Carlos Gomez some time next year. A victory over another contender would help prepare Haye formidable test that awaits him in taking on one, or possibly both as hinted at by Haye, the Klitschko brothers.