It did not take David Haye long to make his presence known in Germany. Shortly after arriving at the renowned Hilton Hotel in Nuremberg on Monday, he caused a stir, insisting he could not sleep well in his bed. He wrote in his online diary at www.thesun.co.uk: “When I reached German soil I was guided towards a disgusting hotel, with a dingy room. After a quick call or two, we managed to depart the rancid lair with our legs and arms still intact. We actually ended up at a lovely five-star hotel, though we had to pay for the five-star privilege. Still, if it saves us from the guaranteed Black Death of the first place, it will be well worth the price.”
And he added: “These are the sort of mind games and tactics you have to put up with when fighting abroad. They rattle some fighters, while others refuse to ever box on foreign territory. The foreign promoters are always looking to give their guy any possible advantage and they’ll look to screw you around left, right and centre if they think it’s going to unsettle you..”
Chris Meyer, General Manager of Team Sauerland, was royally amused by Haye´s antics. “If he calls the Hilton a ‘rancid lair’, it tells you something about his state of mind. Now you know why neither Nikolai nor anybody else at Team Sauerland has taken Haye´s insults and provocations seriously. He clearly talks too much and has an interesting way of seeing things. With just five days between now and the fight, he might be getting nervous and is starting to lose his sleep.”
Meanwhile, the Russian Giant is eager to get in the ring with Haye. “I don´t care whether he can sleep or not. And I don´t really care about what hotel he stays in. I am really looking forward to Saturday night when I will meet him in the ring and defend my title. I cannot wait to land a few heavy blows on him.”
Today, Valuev and Haye conducted an open workout session at a shopping precinct in Nuremberg, which was broadcast live by the UK’s Sky Sports News channel. Valuev did some light stretching and shadow boxing before Haye entered the ring and continued with his provocations. Coach Adam Booth had transformed his pads into a special mask. “That is Valuev,” said Haye. “This is how we have prepared for him.”