Haye disappoints in losing wide points decision
Ian McNeilly in Hamburg: David Haye’s big night was not matched by a big performance as he lost a wide, unanimous points decision and his WBA heavyweight title to Wladimir Klitschko at Hamburg’s Imtech Arena tonight.
For much of the fight, Haye seemed to try the same tactics as he employed against Nikolai Valuev – stay out of range and score occasionally with eye-catching shots – but it just didn’t work on this occasion.
Haye simply didn’t do enough and although my tally was 117-112, there are no complaints about the wider margins given by the judges: 118-108 (Michael Pernick), 117-109 (Adelaide Byrd) and 116-110 (Stanley Christodoulou).
Afterwards, Haye claimed that he had broken a toe of his right foot in training resulting in an inability to push off and get necessary leverage with his right leg. Whilst I'm sure this is genuine, it does seem difficult to justify the rather insipid performance he gave tonight on this basis alone.
The fight was preceded by an unscripted pantomime involving Haye’s ring entrance. As Lennox Lewis waited to accompany Haye to ringside and the travelling hoards sang along to the Bermondsey boxer’s theme tune of ‘Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now’ it was more a case of ‘Ain’t No Seeing Haye Now’ as he failed to leave his dressing room.
One suspects Klitschko expected this delaying tactic and perhaps he forewarned the organisers who simply stopped the music, announced Haye seemingly wasn’t ready to appear and the broadcasters then conducted a series of bizarre interviews with German A-listers such as Boris Becker, presumably whilst a message was relayed to Haye to get his arse in gear. Big Len deserved better than this charade but the former undisputed champ waited patiently for Haye to appear, which he then did.
Haye began round one on the back foot and Klitschko moved after him very well. In what was to be the first of an alarming ten occasions visiting the canvas , Klitschko pushed Haye to the ground. Of the ten, only one was ruled a knockdown (in the eleventh round) and even that was debateable. Haye was having some success in the opener but it was an even session.
I gave the next two rounds to Haye. In the second, Haye slipped Klitschko’s jabs well whilst getting through with a couple of his own, followed by a right cross. The third turned out to be Haye’s best round of the fight. After some good Klitschko jabs, Haye rattled in a right cross which immediately had the Ukrainian holding as, indeed, he did on the very few occasions Haye’s sporadic aggression worked.
I gave Haye a share of the seventh and the last but other than this, rounds four onwards were all Klitchko’s.
The Englishman quickly settled into a pattern of staying on the outside and attacking intermittently and sometimes clumsily. Klitschko might not have been doing a huge amount but given the tactics of his opponent, he didn’t need to. Klitschko was finally docked a point for his repeated pushing of Haye to the canvas in the seventh round though Haye was contributing to the situation somewhat by bending low at times.
After referee Genaro Rodriguez ruled that Haye’s canvas trip in the eleventh was caused by a legal punch, the Brit knew the writing was on the wall and tried a couple of desperate looking haymakers which didn’t pay off.
Haye was more aggressive in the final round and he had some success though it was very noticeable how Klitschko immediately tied him up by holding blatantly.
Regardless, it was too little too late.
Haye’s first post-fight comment was to thank the travelling fans for their support.
As I write this, many will be fighting their way to the local S-Bahn station, or for cabs through torrential rain to drown their sorrows. There’s no doubt that whilst many will still love the Hayemaker, his effort will have disappointed the majority of them tonight.
