"I will win" gushes Valuev
WBA heavyweight champion Nikolai Valuev has promised “something special” for David Haye when they clash in the ring on Saturday night. “The Russian Giant” cannot wait to let his fists do the talking after the challenger has wasted no chance to hurl insults at the biggest and tallest champion of all time. “His comments have been very motivating,” Valuev said. “But let´s see what Haye has to offer inside the ring. I don´t think he will be able to follow it up. But I will not underestimate him.”
Haye was brimming with confidence when he spoke in front of a packed press conference today. "He hasn't fought anyone of my calibre; he's never fought anyone in their prime or someone so fired up,” the challenger said. “I'm not one of these guys he's used to fighting. I'm not over-the-hill.”
And he added: "Training has gone great and I am going to make him look silly on Saturday night. I am going to embarrass him, knock him out. He's never fought anyone as fast or who punches as hard as me, or as accurate. I know he feels I'm a little mouthy man from England, but he's gonna be in for a rude awakening when that bell goes."
Asked what he makes of Haye´s prediction to knock him out, Valuev replied: “He can say what he wants. I have heard that from many opponents before. It is not going to happen. I will win.” Manager Wilfried Sauerland was also surprised about the challenger´s confidence. “I don´t know where he takes it from,” he said. “He is untested at heavyweight and got knocked down a lot of times in his career. Now he is facing a proven champion with 50 victories, so I really wonder why he is so optimistic.”
The quick, hard-punching Haye will not be deterred by giving the 7-foot, 325-odd pound Valuev (50-1, 34 KOs), from St. Petersburg, Russia, about 100 pounds and nine inches.
“I don’t care what I weigh,” David answered a question about his expected weight on fight night. “I haven’t looked at the scales all through training camp. So long as I’m fit and sharp at the weight, I’m not bothered what the scales say. As far as bring my power up, I have no doubt I’ll hit hard enough to knock out top heavyweights. I’ve never been in the ring with an opponent – amateur, sparring, or as a pro – who hasn’t respected my punching power. I’ve floor top heavyweights, in the gym and in the ring, and none of them can ever believe how hard I punch for a smaller guy.
“It’s never much fun getting hit by a man weighing 23 stone, so I’m not underestimating the power he generates. He must hit fairly hard. Technically, he does most things right. He’s a well-schooled fighter that has improved over the years. Saying that, though, his last five fights have gone the distance, and I certainly don’t think he’s the fearsome and terrifying puncher he perhaps should be for a man of that size.”
Two-time WBA heavyweight champion John “The Quietman” Ruiz (43-8-1, 29 KOs), the current WBA number one rated and “official challenger,” takes on Adnan “Aachen Assassin” Serin (19-10-1, 7 KOs) on the undercard.
