Aidan Farrelly – For thousands of passionate boxing fans, the recession has had no impact on their ability to see first hand their hero making history. Last night, David Haye (23-1, 21 KO’s) defied the odds to become the first English WBA Heavyweight Champion since Lennox Lewis, beating the tallest, heaviest champion in history, Nikolai Valuev in Nuremberg.
The fans made the expensive journey from England to Germany, knowing that if Haye (29) stayed true to his pre-fight word, what they would witness could propel the Londoner to a height experienced by few boxers before him.
In what was a culture shock to English fans, they were treated to a full night’s entertainment before the main event, which included a meal and live music, courtesy of the reigning champion’s ring walk. After that, it was down to a card of boxing that was set to thrill the eager spectators, the majority of whom German neutrals, who had adopted Valuev (36) as their own..
When George Groves, the undefeated youngster from London routinely finished off Konstantine Makhankov, next up was John Ruiz. Known as The Quiet Man, Ruiz secured a seventh round stoppage victory over Adnan Serin, ensuring his position as mandatory challenger for Hayes’ first defence.
Next up, the main event, dubbed ‘David V Goliath’. The build up to this much anticipated bout had just about every boxer, trainer, manager and indeed spectator from all levels pitching in with their view on how the fight would unravel. Not too many experts scripted a point’s victory for the ‘Hayemaker’, who had only been through seven rounds of competitive boxing in two years.
In all the pre-fight interviews, Haye promised a knockout victory dedicated to his ‘loyal’ fans. However it was evident throughout the bout that Hayes prediction did not coincide with his game plan. Haye was merely talking up the KO to boost Box Office ratings, and with the prospect of being hammered into the canvas by the 7ft giant looming over him, who could blame him.
Haye set his stall out very early, dancing around the ring as if it were an audition for ‘Strictly’. But who can fault the tactics which led to Valuev wasting much needed energy on thin air round after round. Valuev, with an 88ins reach, could not lock on to his target. Each time Valuev set his sights on his opponent, Haye showed an intrinsic ability to dodge a bullet, escape the dreaded corner and further enrage the Russian.
With a record of 51 fights, 50 wins, 34 by way of KO, the Russian monster could be forgiven for thinking a man seven stones lighter would be no challenge. But what he did not expect to face was a David Haye that no one has seen before. “The speed of my opponent was a problem”, admitted the 36 year old.
The cat and mouse tactics from the Englishman appeared to finally dissipate in Round 12 when he landed a combination which had Valuev doing an audition himself. Haye excited the fans with a one-two that would have sent any other boxer to the floor, but somehow Valuev stood his ground, somewhat shakily. Haye later compared hitting Valuevs head to “… hitting a brick wall.”
When fans look back on Hayes momentous victory, and consider whether the journey was worth forking out the best part of £1,000 for the trip, they will not remember thunderous blows, or indeed any form of stand up fighting. They will however recall witnessing the perfect execution of a game plan, and indeed a master class in how to dismantle a giant, one round at a time.
Next for Haye is a mandatory defence against John Ruiz in 2010. Fans can be assured Hayes tactics for this fight will not be to dance or dodge, but indeed to unleash a flurry of blows that will keep the former model on the front cover for a long time to come.