David Haye Drilling Dereck Chesora
HAYE WINS BATTLE OF “THE MOUTHS”
San Francisco, CA– David Haye looked terrible against Wladimir Klitschko last year. The Londoner blamed his horrid performance on a broken toe. Then Dereck Chesora fought Vitali (pronounced Vit-aly) fought earlier this year and went the distance and lost in a game effort. Then the spit hit the fan as Chesora and Haye got into a post fight brawl that made worldwide news.
BRITISH BOARD OF BOXING CONTROL SILENCED!
In stepped the British Board of Boxing Control who tried to suspend both fighters, but that proved for naught as promoter Frank Warren had the fight sanctioned by the Luxembourg Boxing Federation. But the BBBC was all bark and no bite as their intent to suspend any fighter or official who worked the card was stymied by Warren’s legal eagles (lawyers) and they retreated with tails between their legs.
CAN DAVID HAYE EVER PUT IT ALL TOGETHER?
After the Klitschko fight, and having looked lackluster against Nicolai Valuev, the 7′ footer who couldn’t spell fight, let alone actually fight, David Haye (26-2, 24 KOs) was thought to be nothing but “mouth.” Against Chesora Saturday night, Haye won on a KO in a fight he controlled from the get-go. Chesora (15-4, 9 KOs) threw a lot of looping punches, surely he did not look world class before being dropped twice in round five, the second knockdown all but ended “The Battle of The Mouths” held at Upton Park in London. The far more polished of the pair, Haye’s right hand was the “money” punch he employed to stop Chesora, who got up after the second knockdown only to run into a buzz saw of punches which prompted referee Luis Pabon to stop matters at the 2:59 mark.
SHOWED SPORTSMANSHIP AFTER THE FIGHT
Although the fight wasn’t a “big thing” in the USA, it was a match that fight fans from the UK were frothing at the mouth to see. That’s a shame as while I didn’t think the post fight brawl after the Klitschko-Chesora fight was the most sportsmanlike conduct I had ever seen, it did build up a tremendous amount of anticipation among hardcore boxing fans around the globe. Afterwards, the pair who had brought the hype surrounding the fight to a boil, hugged one another after it was all over.
WHERE DOES THIS PUT HAYE?
Well, this skirmish confirmed what most of us thought in that David Haye, a former cruiserweight (200 lbs) and WBA heavyweight titleholder is the best heavyweight in the United Kingdom. Although nobody had ever stopped Chesora before, one performance shouldn’t put Haye back in the heavyweight title scene with either Vitali or Wladimir Klistchko. But in today’s talent starved heavyweight division, anything is possible.
THE KLITSCHKO’S, DAVID PRICE, TYSON FURY
Look Vitali is showing the wear and tear on his 40-year old body and may not be long for the sport. Wladimir, a few years younger than Vitali has been impressive of late, may decide to retire soon as well. The “trump” card in the UK is unbeaten heavyweight standout David Price, not Tyson Fury (19-0, 14 KOs), a 6’7 fighter who gets a lot of press considering his limited skill level. Price is as big as Fury, but Fury relinquished a regional title to avoid fighting the former Olympian Price (13-0, 11 KOs). Haye vs. David Price would bring about a lot of attention to the heavyweight division, might even entice an American Network to air the fight, but nobody is yet talking Haye-Price.
Pedro Fernandez