by James Slater – Based on what we saw last night in Switzerland, has David Haye got a realistic shot at beating WBC heavyweight ruler Vitali Klitschko? Well, first of all, what did we see last night in Vitali’s fight with the unbeaten Kevin Johnson? Not too much, to be truthful – certainly not much of anything from the man who calls himself “King Pin.”
Round after repetitive round, the 38-year-old champion was content to walk Johnson down, throw jabs and the occasional right hand and pick up points. And the challenger – appropriately, as things turned out, dubbed “Safety Pin” by one reader of this web site – was unable or unwilling to attempt to do anything at all about it. Timid is a word a number of writers have used to describe Johnson’s performance last night, and they are not wrong.
However, as clear and as decisively as “Dr Iron Fist” won on the scorecards of the judges, he didn’t put on a show that was either thrilling to watch or one that will have put any fear into the heart of WBA champ David Haye.. In fact, the opposite almost certainly occurred: Vitali, who refused to go for the knock out for whatever reason, will have given “The Hayemaker” more belief than ever that his blend of speed, power and aggressiveness will see him to victory over the giant.
Vitali Klitschko vs Kevin Johnson (photos © Pavel Terekhov)Johnson, who Vitali said post-fight, was an “unusual” and “tricky” fighter to have faced, threw virtually no power punches at the champion, yet he was still allowed to remain on his feet for all 12 rounds. And Haye, who is a better boxer than Johnson, who has way, way, way more power than the American – power he will use – and who is a fighter who will not box Klitschko timidly, must figure that he too would not get stopped by Vitali – who is seemingly growing as safety first as his younger brother Wladimir.
And if Vitali found Johnson to be “tricky,” how would he find Haye’s style; what with his ability at launching power punches from unorthodox and unpredictable angles? Haye has said before, many times, that if he fought Vitali he would make him look clumsy and foolish with his speed, skills and power. And if Vitali was reluctant to go for the kill against the non too hard-hitting Johnson, how cautious would he be in there against the powerful and quick Londoner?
After he’d won for the 39th time last night, Klitschko called out Haye, saying he is ready to fight him in the spring. “Let’s bring on a fight in the spring,” he said. “Both me and my brother will beat him. No doubt.”
For the first time, though, I’m not so sure Vitali will beat Haye, “no doubt.”
Last night’s victory, in relation to how a fight with Haye would go, is meaningless. Vitali was in there with a fighter who simply would not throw punches, and Klitschko let him hang around as he took this negative approach. Haye will not be so negative, he will not be so easy to figure out and he will not allow Vitali to simply walk him down as he’s content to win on points. Sure, there is a chance Haye could get caught as he fights his aggressive fight against Vitali, but the action will be far more real than what we saw last night.
Barring a KO on either side, though, Haye has to be given a real shot at winning on points if and when he faces the 38-year-old WBC king. Haye has yet to comment on last night’s dreadful contest, but you can bet money he will have nothing but derisive words for the fight. You can also bet money on how Haye will be craving the fight – after he’s taken care of his mandatory challenger John Ruiz, of course.