´óÏó´«Ã½

Sad, sad very sad. we bemoan the violence of today's youth and there come this guy inciting the very violence we try to stamp out. All in the name of publicity. sad I thought he wanted to be a role model...He ill backtrack and said it was all in the spirit of fun but I don't buy it.I for once will support the Ukrainian and won't pay to watch the game. Mind you if Ben does the blog it'll be fine

Hayemaker's the king of trash talk and come fight night he'll be king of the heavyweight division. Smash him up Dave! For Queen and country!

@post #1, so notsolittlemouse... Klitschko will eschew violence and challenge D-Day Haye to a game of chess...?

Wlad is chinny... everybody knows it... Haye-maker is employing perfect trash-talking tactics to get his opponent coming out swinging - he knows where his best chance lies and that is not 12 rounds of cuddling a 'homer' in Germany...

mayweather wasnt/isnt an outstanding fighter but his fights sold, and david haye is just mimicking him! I think this is one fight too soon for Haye, and klitschko will win on points.

#5 Think he must mean Mayweather didn't have the most entertaining style - being a counter puncher.

I love David Haye, comes out with some very funny lines especially in relation to to Frank Warren. If WWE can be one of the biggest sports in the world, without any actual sport, Boxing needs it too. Even football wouldn't be as interesting without all the publicity with transfers, scandals and wrong decisions.

The severed heads is a bit below the belt but its unique and adds to the fight. Due to this more people will like David Haye, more will dislike him, resulting in much more interested in the fight, more will want to see it, more money in everyones pockets. In this instance all publicity really is all good publicity.

spurs boss - to be honest i don't think you could've been more wrong with that comment. Not only was/is Mayweather the the best boxer in the last 10 to 15 years (arguably longer) but also his fights didn't sell. For the majority of his career his audience was very limited and this is shown by his PPV sales. Only when he fought fighters who brought their own fans (DLH, Hatton) did he do decent numbers.

As far as Haye's concerned, i think he's bitten off a bit more than he can chew, i hope i'm wrong as the Klitschko bore fest that is the heavy weight division need brightening up. He's trying to get Wlad mad on the premise that a mad fighter isn't a smart fighter. it could be his best chance so you can't blame him for that. Anyone who's actually offended by these antics needs to put it in perspective.

Boxing is full of trash talking, it's part of the game. It's no coincidence the greatest of all, Ali, was also the greatest trash talker of all.

David Haye is a genius; love him or hate him, the man has sparked some genuine interest into a heavyweight fight for the first time since Lewis-Klitschko (and I'm still not sure if that could be categorised as interest). The heavyweight division needs Haye to win this fight so he can end the Klitschko/Eastern European monopoly. Will he do it? I don't know, however he needs Wlad to come out swinging, and if angering him is the way to do it, then bloody well do it!

Haye is more concerned with celebrity and fame than boxing it would seem. There's also more chance of me being crowned Queen than Wlad 'coming out throwing bombs'. He'll fight his usual grinding style fight and Haye will get mangled.

regarding "notsolittlemouse": You don't know what you're talking about. If ever there's day when I see a child walking down the street with a t-shirt showing two decapitated heads of people who I don't now about and him proceeding to violently attack them then I would have an issue. But since this is a BOXING match and fights need to be sold and nearly every successful fighter shouts his mouth off.

You cannot compare boxing and real life. Surely there's something worse in our society than Boxing?

Haye isn't an idiot hes articulate and knows what hes doing he had Wlad exactly where he wants him he is looking for the reaction and thats exactly what he got. Haye isn't malicious its all tactics Wlad is notorious for fighting behind his jab and staying there all night. Haye knows he has less chance of winning if Wlad does this and if he can rile Wlad up enough for him to come out and brawl then he will get exposed like he did against Corrie Sanders. The other side is it gets people talking about the fight Haye couldnt care less if the attention is positive or negative he is a promoter and its obviously working me personally i love him!

Quite clearly all this trash talk is nothing more than a promotional tool, Haye himself seems the first to admit it. In terms of whether he's gone too far then in all honesty his legacy will be determined by the excitement and success he generates inside the ring. Boxing and the public in general have come to accept the open disrespect Ali showed his opponents and the self styled Baddest Man on the Planet Tyson, who threatened to eat his opponents young amongst other things, principally because they were phenomenally exciting fighters.

As an Englishman it would be nice to see Haye get a result against Wlad and with his explosive style he could certainly spicen things up in a very bland division. However, while I think he has a good chance you can't just overlook the dramatic size differential and while Wlad may have a suspect chin and a dull style looking at his and his brother's records its been nothing if not effective.

In terms of interest in the fight outside of the UK and Continental Europe I currently live in the US and if it weren't for my ardent ´óÏó´«Ã½ reading I'd probably not even know of its existence. The boxing scene at a big world title level is dominated in the States by HBO (though Showtime does show some title fights the marquee names tend to stick with the HBO money) and Haye has yet to get himself on their radar. This surprises me given Haye's connection to Golden Boy Promotions in the US and their close relationship with HBO, however they seem far more concentrated on pushing Chris Arreola. During Arreola's win over a shot McCline on Apil 11th the HBO commentators outright labelled him the saviour of boxing and were quick to push him as the fresh alternative to the staid eastern european HWs with his knockout style. They barely mentioned Haye in the conversation which considering he has a better knockout record, has already been an undisputed world champ and is actually scheduled to fight one of the Klitschko's seemed a little strange. Furthermore if they're so desperate for a new HW star to sell fights I'd have thought they'd take an articlate, brash and photogenic fighter who's managed to secure a shot over an out of shape, unproven prospect. But then as has been said by many its twice as hard for non-US fighters to earn recognition out here and I guess that just goes to prove that Hatton's doing something right.

4. At 7:18pm on 20 Apr 2009, spurs_boss wrote:
mayweather wasnt/isnt an outstanding fighter but his fights sold, and david haye is just mimicking him! I think this is one fight too soon for Haye, and klitschko will win on points.
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Err... are we talking about the same olympic medalist, undefeated 5 weight 6 time world champion who retired as the best pound for pound fighter on the planet and is generally regarded as the best boxer of a generation??? Think you should re-think that comment mate, Mayweather was sheer class.

As for Haye, he's making the most of this opportunity - if it was up to Wlad this fight would pass unnoticed anywhere other than Germany. Haye said he wanted to inject life into the heavyweight division and that's what he's attempting (albeit slightly crudely) to do - a bit of trash talking never hurt anyone and if it helps get boxing a bit more mainstream coverage again then I'm all for it (especially when we have a world champ in Froch fighting in the U.S and none of our channels see fit to show it - and that dig includes you ´óÏó´«Ã½, boxing fans are licence payers too - yet all we get is singing/dancing/ice skating "celebrities").

I cant wait for this fight. I agree with Haye, that for the sake of the sport, someone needs to challenge the Klitschko's. Their style for the most part is dull, waiting and choosing their moment, and as effective as that is, nobody wants to see it. In contrast, Haye will come out looking to land a lot of punches. I hope at the very least he gives it 5/6 rounds of competitive fighting, because if he cant then its hard to see where he goes from there.

An also, notsolittlemouse, hes a boxer. How could he not endorse violence, its what he does for a living!

Martial art, rugby, water polo are violent too. What they have in common is that the violence stays on the field and isn't brought out in the gutter. Ali or Tyson were slagging their opponent not wearing a tasteless tee-shirt. you might be educated enough to see the comic / provocation element of it. The red top will love David as they will be able to indulge into Eastern European bashing in the name or news reporting but one should be careful of letting out such a message. Maybe David should tour Europe to promote visit Britain with his T-shirt. As David said it. this isn't boxing, it's advertising...bad and sad advertising. Is boxing so low it has to resort to such extreme? What next? I let your imagination finish the sentence.

Hi Ben,

From your closing statement, I take it you think Haye will lose? I'm interested to know what makes you say that?

I tend to watch all the big draw encounters either on Setanta or Sky pay-per-view. I haven't seen much of Klitschko fight and surely if he was as good as his record suggests, I would have seen more of him in bigger fights?!

I have followed David Haye since he first started out back on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ a number of years ago. His only loss was to a true warrior 'The Cat' and I don't think Klitschko has the same heart - look what happened when Enzo got in the ring with Haye.

Personally, I think Haye will knock him out. But if I'm being naive please tell me why you think Klitschko will win.

Cheers - good blog by the way!!

Loved Hayes comment about Wladamir needing a 'chin transplant' before the fight if he wants to avoid his punches haha. I reckon if I had a head transplant before a big fight I'd stand a good chance. Just gotta tone me pecks up a little bit.

Hayes created a buzz and made this fight a must see not just for us but for 70,000 germans. Not bad I'd say.

p.s. regarding the 70,000 we watched him at Alty leisure centre just a short while ago haha how the mighty have fallen ;)

When Wladimir fought Corrie Sanders and got blitzed within 2 rounds, Sanders weighed 225. Corrie just countered him with hand speed and Wladimir didn't know what hit him.

I expect Haye to come in at around 220, bigger than the great Larry Holmes in his prime. Haye has the hand speed, foot speed and skill to punish Vladimir. He'll need a jab like the Easton Assassin as well..

The big question in this fight is, how will either fighter react once they get nailed? Both have a dodgy set of whiskers, but I believe Haye will nail his combinations and stop Wladimir early.

Nice to see a boxer brewing up a storm. Haye's interviews at the beginning of the year when he was lining up for a fight with Vitali were special. The combination of self belief, cockiness and an intelligent super smooth delivery made for impressive stuff. He really has a talent for generating publicity and has a good sense of humour.

In saying this I thought he didn't exude the same kind of confidence in his interview today with the ´óÏó´«Ã½, posted on the website. It's time to walk now and the man mountain Klitschko is casting a big shadow. I don't know if education makes the man but Klitschko's PhD might suggest he's smarter than the average Ukrainian bear. I'd be surprised if he's genuinely rattled by Haye. Wlad might end up burying the hatchet in Haye's head.

I only see Haye having a punchers chance as Wladamir's size and experience should be enough.

Another good blog Ben but also refreshing to see most people agreeing with each other for a change!!!

It's right what people are saying though, Haye is not only a boxer but a promoter and at this moment in time his words and actions are getting attention and making people raise an eyebrow and take an interest in the fight. Sure,some of his comments may be a little crude but as someone has already mentioned, Tyson threatened to eat peoples kids and "the greatest of all time" Muhammad Ali used to ridicule his opponents before fights so i can't see al the fuss over Haye wearing a joke t-shirt. I seriously doubt that any kids are going to go out and decapitate someone claiming they were inspired by David's t-shirt.

Haye has done the job of promoter very well so far and credit to him for it, he's turning the fight into a big fight ad the british fight fans should welcome it, not get on his back. My only problem is i am not 100% confident in him winning. Wlad is too clever to get drawn into a slug fest, he hasn't really had one so far in 55 fights so i cant see him changing his style for David Haye. That means it will be down to Haye to get past Wlad's jab and with the size difference that won't be easy and if he gets caught on his way in, we all know he tends to go over himself. But that's what i think makes this fight exciting, both men are known to drop if caught with a big shot so as was the case when Haye fought Enzo, it could well be that whoever lands first, wins and i will be watching and cheering on Haye. I just hope he can do it.

The tee-shirt is in poor taste at best but yes I am sure that it will sell tickets and PPV if that is how it is being promoted.

Hope that he wins but it will be tough.

I noticed that someone on here said that Ali and Tyson just slagged their opponents and didn't wear tasteless t-shirts. If you knew anything about boxing, you would know Ali was a racist. The way he treated his opponents was a discrace. When Ali fought Joe Frazier, he was a discrace to the world of boxing. Frazier got Ali re-instated into Boxing and Ali repaid him in a terrible way. What David Haye is doing is purely to promote this fight which is one of the biggest in years. The Heavyweight division needs to be spiced up and if we had fighters being polite to each other, nobody would watch.
COME ON DAVID HAYE!!!

Mr. Haye has given in to the dark side to sell tickets. See the latest Thrilla in Manilla doc that has revealed how that negatively impacts lives for their duration.

Mr. Haye has much to apologize for and make up for in a world too long exploited by dark forces.

At the end of the day someeone has to liven up the heavyweight division, its stale and boring. I dont care what Setanta say -it is! Haye if anything is the only one trying to get a bit of life into it. So what if the T-shirt was bad tastle - on June 2oth thats is going to be a sell out all of them wanting Haye's head on a platter and he would not want it any other way!! I hope he can do it, but its a tough job, but if he can use his speed and combos i can see him winning by stoppage.

I wonder how many people would react with such indifference to the t-shirt had it been an English boxer portrayed. 'Oh, yeah... I guess decapitated brothers isn't exactly pleasant.... but oioi! Come on you England!'. Quite.

That is a fair point Fonz!! The media and the blogs would be going crazy if it happen to Ricky Hatton for example!!

A picture speaks a thousand words, and a decapitated head sets down a unique but ugly marker. Here's hoping it's an end point rather than an opening one to the tradition of trash talking. I think the fight would have sold without such base tactics because it is genuinely an exciting and intriguing fight, and one the heavyweight scene has been crying out for.
Haye has the tools to win - if he lands Klitschko will go, no question. Everything comes off Klitschko's jab, so negate that and Haye's chances increase dramatically. The Ukranian's size, experience and more conservative approach make him a firm favourite, but if heart becomes the decider I think Haye will prevail.

Haye's antics are truly cringe-inducing. It's so banal and ridiculous to engage in such phoney bravado, when your tactics are so defensive and unspectular. For christ's sake. He's got a picture of their heads in his hands on his t-shirt, but when he goes out there it's going to be all defense, defense, defense.

This guy should feel lucky boxing still exists as a spectator sport when it's full of such defensive bores like him. Like Klitschko says, he holds, grabs, and paws in the ring. Just like Mayweather Jr, another so-called "great".

All these boring sportsmen, this is the reason why people are now watching camp, worthless, nauseating tripe like "Strictly Come Dancing" on a saturday night. The kids should be watching healthy things like sports.

"Boxing is not about what you do in the ring" - David Haye

Wow. That idiotic quote just sums him up completely. What is it about, then, if it's not about boxing? You sound more like someone working at some stupid PR firm than someone who is paid to hit people in the face for a living. ..Jesus christ. and people actually wonder why we're in a huge recession and our culture is in such a horrible malaise. They think it's just some kind of "coincidence".

I can't wait to see this stupid clown get knocked out, I hope it's brutal.

Well it's worked alright - very quick too.. I'm in Sydney and this has made front page news

ps it may have been removed by the time you get to view it uk time.. point being what's he's done has had immediate effect, i expect the same for the US tomorrow

good on him and good luck! difficult task but I reckon Haye will have this bout won before they climb through the ropes, he'll rattle klitschko mentally I think

#5 sorry if wasnt clear before, i meant his style wasnt outstanding, he would never of sold the PPV's he did on his fighting ability alone, he had to trash talk just to sell.

Barackchamberlain: After reading your last post, i am thinking to myself whether you know ANYTHING about boxing???

Firstly, to say that Haye is defensive and boring is ridiculous, Haye is well known for his explosive style and he has got the heart of a lion. he fought Mormeck on his own patch and destroyed him with a clinical KO after picking himself up off the floor. That show alone demonstrated his power and heart and in his next fight he almost took Enzo's jaw off it's hinges with a ferocious attack. If you had read the comments properly you would have seen that it was Haye who was saying that Klitschko jabs and paws and if you had watched any of his fights you would see that for yourself. It is the ONLY way Wlad fights and in my opinion, although it works, it is really really tedious to watch. David Haye is a breath of fresh air compared to Wlad, he is much more exciting and willing to take a few more risks.

Secondly, Haye actually said "Boxing is all about what you do inside the ring, not outside it" so you got it wrong again. He was saying it as people are calling him tasteless and saying he is bad for boxing because of the t-shirt antics and because outside the ring Wlad is a gentleman, which he is, but lets face it, a t-shirt never decided a fight, Haye is right, boxing is all about what happens inside the ring so while Klitschko is a gent outside, he is negative, defensive and boring inside and that for me, deosn't represent good value for fans who pay good money for a ticket.

Finally i will sign off, laughing at the fact you called Floyd Mayweather, that is the UNDEFEATED Floyd MAyweather, who has won countless world titles at numerous weights a "so called great".......ha ha ha

"But classy guys don't necessarily sell fights. Big mouths do."

Who are the biggest box office sellers at present? Hatton, Pacman (DLH until his recent retirement) & Mosely would be right up there and they conduct themselves brilliantly well out of the ring.

In recent times both Mayorga and Vargas have over-stepped the line in terms of insults and have made themselves to look a bit silly when getting smashed round the ring by the gent that is De la Hoya. There's nothing wrong with a bit of verbal sparring before a fight, i in fact don't mind Haye slating Wladimir by calling him rubbish etc. I do have a bit of an issue with him promoting this image of him beheading his brother, there is a line and he's over-stepped it.

Fights are sold by whose fighting. Tarver & Woods traded numerous insults in the build up to their fight but who (barring your hardcore boxing fan) gave a monkeys about the fight? Did Mosely & Margarito have to resort to such lows to sell the fight? Did Juan Diaz & Marquez turn up wearing tshirts of decapitated family members?

I do admire the confidence of Haye and the sheer bravado for wanting the best, but to bang up interest by using pictures of your oppos decapitated brother (regardless if he's the other world champ) is a bit embaressing if you call yourself a Haye fan, and downright disgusting if you're not.

I still can't see what the problem is though??? At the end of the day all it is is a t - shirt with a silly picture on it. Haye's way of showing that he is out to get both Klitschko brothers. He's not saying that he is REALLY gonna cut their heads off, it's only a picture on a t shirt. I can understand why it would rile Wlad cos if it was me and someone did that i would think " the cheeky little ****, i can't wait to knock him out" but as for anybody else kicking up a fuss, why does it bother you so much??? It's only a t - shirt with a daft picture on and the only person it's poking fun at is the Klitschko brothers. Let Haye get on with what he feels he has to do to get people taklking about the fight and judge him on his performance inside the ring not what he does in the build up. This is boxing, not a personality contest.

Ben its good what you do but what kind of administrator are you with all your spelling mistakes and puncuation errors. lol

You're right I dont know much about boxing. I do know a lot about sports in general though why they're so marginalised. Half the reason is because organisers spend far too much time listening to the advice of dull "fans" like you, who always, when there's criticism of the standard of the spectacle from non-hardcore fans, always respond with a dull barrage of stats. "Multi-weight world champ, blah blah".

Oh, and I did get the quote right from Haye. I copied and pasted it directly from an article on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ news website so if it is wrong, it's the ´óÏó´«Ã½ misquoting him, not me. Do you have any proof that he said what you said?

If Haye is so "explosive" why did Klitschko criticise him for his style, and for not carrying himself the way a heavyweight should? I think you're just one of those dullards who is overhyping the Brits as usual. I bet you're the kind of guy who would have said Lewis Hamilton was "unlucky" to lose the F1 title in 2007.

I hope David Haye wins as i would love a British Heavyweight Champion. I then hopes he goes on to keep the title for 10 years and becomes the best heavyweight ever (please note i don't think he will do any of these things - but i do genuinely hope)

That said - i would love it even more if he could do it with some class. Say what you want about Hatton and Calzaghe but i can't remember either of them stooping so low to try and sell their fights... they operate(d) with class and we love them for it.... we all buy the fights because they are in big fights and we want to watch them... as a meerkat may say "simples!"

Haye is not really ever going to turn himself into "the baddest man on the planet" - he looks like a fraud when acting this way - as ultimately he usually comes across as a nice and (reletively) articulate guy... also to try and give it the big one when you have a TKO defeat by a british Cruiserweight on your record probably isn't going to carry much fear when you are trying to intimidate a decent heavy weight champion... it looks hollow...

The fact he openly then admits he is acting this way to simply try and sell the fight makes it even more laughable... and when he describes his own actions as a "silly little stunt" i'm afraid it makes him look more like a "silly little ???? - if only i could think of something that rhymed.

If he wants to sell the fights he should big up his opponents - talk about what great champions they are and that he wants to pich himself with the best in the world... that way we will warm to him and the fight becomes a "David (excuse the pun) and Goliath" that is how Hatton has sold the Mayweather and Pacquiao fights and how Calzaghe sold the Hopkins Jones Jnr fights....

It was one thing for Ali to rubbish opponents in his prime - or even Maywetaher to do it (he has an unbeaten record, consider pound4pound best and beat some good fighters) but something entirely different when you are David Haye - as no matter how good he is we won't beleive it because of a t-shirt - he needs to do the job... or just look like Audley Harrison....

Good Luck David - and whilst I genuinely want you to win there is a big part of me that thinks if you aren't the real deal you think you are we will love to see you smashed to pieces by Wladimir and then start the usual sad "ITV British/Commonwealth heavyweight title fights" against Skelton, Williams and Harrison... before disappearing completely...

I have to say this is one of those situations where you just have to accept that "Trash Talk" will be used as an initial onslaught. Haye is going to need all the weapons at his disposal and that being his exciting Boxing skills and on this occasion his extra cirricular activities as well. Such as creative and origional T-shirt printing and verbal use of the English language in the form of "Trash Talk"! I mean lets face facts Haye is no fool and doesn't need a PhD to know that Wladamir has vast experience, coupled with a cool composure in and out of the Ring. So any chance to "rattle the Cage" so to speak will go a long way towards a win for Haye in my opinion.

Ben great blog and I do see your point that Haye will have a tough time getting inside the Ukranian giants awefully stiff jab. And they both have a tendency to head South when caught with a heavy shot but don't you think that Haye has an outstanding chance (if nothing else) of getting his name established across the pond win, lose or draw? All this hype is quite amazing really especially since the current P4P is about to go toe to toe with Hatton! So possibly getting a sell out crowd in Germany of 70,000 is very comendable given the times and I should imagine there will be plenty of people glued to their TV screens thinking "this is the most exciting heavyweight fight I've seen in ages". And like you Ben I reckon that Wladimir (if the fight is really exciting and by all accounts it should be) will be thanking Haye for the initial hype regardless of outcome.

And I hate to say this but whoever initally posted that Mayweather Jnr "was/is not great" etc, is sadly mistaken! Unless they wish to provide a little more than just the briefest of comments without any kind of justification or facts then I can't even take it as a point of view! Just cinical drivel! And just for the record I still think Hatton would have beaten Mayweather if Cortez hadn't been the referee on that ever so dark and cold night.

sorry to post again ... but...just a thought - how many of us are going to buy the fight?

I am definitely buying the hatton fight but i am almost definitely not going to buy the Haye fight...(not because of the t-shirt, just because that i'm not that bothered if the truth is told.

rather than now seeing it as a big fight that sells itself it sort of stinks of a bit of a minger after a few bottles of bacardi is embarrassingly prancing around trying to get our interest...

Post #40 - I have to say I do see your point with Haye and his promotional skills but you forget he really needs to win this fight and get a shot at Vitali to prove himself the best of the heavyweights. And the "trash talk" and t-shirt is his way of grinding at the brothers especially since IF he beats Wladimir (no easy task) he wants to get an easy and quick set up with Vitali (again no easy task).

Then if he is victorious I am sure he will be his usual charming, down to earth self and will start giving other Boxers the respect some of them deserve. I mean if it was me going into the Ring with Wladimir then I would want him as off balance as possible (actually scrap that - I wouldn't get in the Ring in the first place!).

It's easy to say "it's not tasteful, it's crude and disrespectful" but I seem to remember that Ali based his career on it and so did Mayweather (albeit without a t-shirt) and Ali has been known to lose and Mayweather as an exception remains unbeaten! But does that give anyone the right to "trash talk" so long as they have an unblemished record? I think not, that said though I'm not sure why I'm getting so excitable over a blog but I guess you could say I have "Haye Fever".

Barackchamberlain: I didn't just respond with dull facts as you put it. The only time i mentioned a multi weight world champ is when i mentioned Floyd Mayweather, the person you called a "so called great". I apoogise for saying those words if they cause you so much offence but the fact is FMJ is one of, if not THE BEST boxers of all time. The guy is undefeated, he has fought through and became a world champion in 5 different weight classes, he has fought some of the very best fighters out there and won every single time.He gets called pretty boy as he is so hard to hit, he totally sparked Ricky Hatton who is often called one of the greatest british boxers of all time. I think he has most definitely proved his credentials yet you still call him a "so called great". Well if that's your view i'd love to see who you class as a true great???

I don't think fans like me are the reason any sport becomes marginalised, it's people like you to blame for all this fuss about one daft picture on a blokes t - shirt when you have readily admitted you don't even know much about the sport but then seem fit to give your reasons why Haye should and will be knocked out, then you criticise the way he fights and couldn't be more wrong!!! You even took Haye's comments about the way Wladimir fights and tell us all that Klitschko said it about Haye which couldn't have been further from the truth. See, that's what puzzles me about people like you, you come on here and take the time to type out a message criticising the way Haye fights when you clearly haven't got a clue and are just copying what another man said but in this case you made a mistake and got your comments mixed up!!! Why even bother to come on unless you have your own opinon???

My apologies about the copy and paste from this website, after posting i saw it myself but i still think he was misquoted. As for having proof of what i wrote, it was taken from a much more detailed article on sky sports where he said "He doesn't entertain. Yes he's a gentleman but you should judge a fighter on what he does once the bell rings, not what he does outside the ring. He doesn't give value for money, like I do. He's embarrassing, everything he does in the ring is embarrassing." which is pretty much on the same lines as i said.

When did Klitschko criticise the way Haye fights?? I read that has criticised his actions and although i think its a lot of fuss over something which to me isn't even important, i can understand why he said it cos Haye is very cheeky towards both brothers. But the fact is that Haye IS explosive, very explosive and unless you are blind, deaf or totally stupid, you might have noticed that in his last 3 fights he has knocked his opponent to the canvas a combination of 7 times with each fight resulting in a knock out victory and 2 of those opponents were established world champions. So after taking these facts into account and the fact that in his 23 wins he has 22 stoppages, how can you say that Haye is NOT explosive??? I'd love to see you explain your thoughts on that one.......

Finally, i'm certainly not one who you can accuse of overhyping the Brits. If you looked on these boards regularly and actually had any sort of clue what you're talking about you would see i think exactly the opposite when it comes to Amir Khan. While i would love to see him do so, i don't think he will ever make it to the elite level. So it looks like another accusation of yours is wrong. Come to think of it, was it even your accusation or did you just copy and paste it from someone else?? Ha ha, People like you make me laugh which is good, cos everyone like a laugh!!! ha ha ha ha!!!

P.S. I wasn't eally bothered about Lewis Hamilton, i prefer Moto GP to F1.

ha ha ha ha ha ha

Haye's daft T-shirt is a way of drumming up publicity. I wonder what message he'll have printed on the soles of his boots after he collapses after shooting his bolt after 8 rounds? The K brothers are nothing special but neither is Haye.

I wonder how many posts there would be for this fight if he never wore the t-shirt. Of course this blog wouldn't have existed without it. The fact is there would be little to no interest in this fight without Haye, now it's making headlines. Boxing needs something to compete with UFC and MMA and this is exactly the sort of thing that will create interest. He knows it may turn as many people against him as for him.

I wonder how many of the people criticising him actually know what sort of deal he has taken to get this fight. He said he was moving to Heavyweight to go straight for the titles and liven up the division, and thats exactly what he's doing. Too many boxers these days are all mouth and no action, facing hand picked opponents for the most money. He is going to Klitschko's backyard and giving away most of the money all to take his shot.

I've liked Haye's style for some time and love the fact he never backs down and goes for the guys at the top. I for one will be getting this fight and applaude Haye win or lose for having the guts to go all out for what he wants.

Now where can I get one of those t-shirts?!!

Ha ha, let me know if you find one Murchison and i'll get one myself!!!!

You're right in what you say though. I thik people should give Haye credit for doing exactly what he said he would. At least he's got the balls to go for it rather than fake his way to the top like a lot of fighters do.

I am not convinced he will win but unlike some people on here i really hope he does and will definitely be watching the fight in my new t - shirt!!!!

Haye is great, funny as.
If you take it seriously you've bitten sucker!
I hope he sparks them both and talks more "trash talk" along the way.
Top of the self!!

Maybe the t-shirt was a bit too far, but if you want to make a fight big, sometimes you need a "bad-guy" or someone to ruffle feathers and get people talking about it, Mayweatehr said it before his fight with Hatton, he knew Hatton was the fans favourite, so made himself the bad guy before the fight and got tons of people watching, I just hope Haye can back it up, having never been hit by anyone quite as massive as Klitschko.

This fight has elements of Lewis-Tua, and it may go the same way. David Tua, the shorter guy with a cracking punch against the taller lewis, with a questionable chin, but experience and tactical nous. Lewis saw no reason to get into a street brawl with Tua and was content to use his superior reach and box Tua behind his left jab, moving to his own left to keep away from Tua's left hook. He did that all night and made Tua look boring and stationary.

I dont think that Klitschko with get stuck in. Why should he? He is in Germany and will play it safe behind his ramrod straight jab.

Haye will knock Wladimir Klitschko out in the first 6 rounds and he will then go and knock his brother out.
The last time i watched Klitschko i fell asleep the Heavyweight division needs an entertaining champion again and Haye is the man to do that!!

Haye is not a Tyson, but he will do the one thing that made Tyson so exciting!!
The first thing he trys to do is knock you out!!
That is what will attract people when he becomes champ and light up the division again!!

Knockouts is what the Heavyweight Division is about!
There is nothing wrong with some fights going the distence but they have to be entertaining!!

Ali's fights went the distance sometimes but it was 15 rounds of Brash, flash, skillfully technincal gifted boxing!!

Klitschko is just a bore compared to Ali!!

The T-shirt was funny, and as i said the fuss that was made about it by the Klitschko brothers backs up what i am saying!!

BORE!!

Heavyweight Champion - David Haye

I'm very surprised that some people have chosen to take Haye's comments as anything more than an attempt to get into Klitschko's head.

Those who say "Isn't it sad..." or hold their mouths aghast and utter "He's supposed to be a role model..." should look at themselves in the mirror (or the mail). Haye is evoking precisely the thing that makes boxing fascinating, it's the one two combination of the handbag soap opera as well as the sport in the ring.

In what context will any child look at David Haye, before printing t-shirts of their playground rival with a severed head? If this is the case we should perhaps ban boxing all together, or maybe ban violent T.V programs or maybe any literature that contains disrespectable rhetoric. I think a huge over reaction has taken place here. The point is that David Haye is selling tickets and keeping heavyweight boxing interesting, whether it is crass and crude at times is a matter of taste, but it certainly shouldn't be looked upon as an incitement of juvenile anarchy.

Come on people, let's not get out of our prams about this cos we've all seen it a million times before from Ali calling Joe Frazier an "Uncle Tom", Tyson claiming he would eat Lennox Lewis' children (Lennox didn't have any kids at the time) and Ricardo Mayorga telling Cory Spinks that he would "reunite" him with his deceased mother and brother in Heaven.

After the fight, there are the usual apologies and claims of needing to sell the fight blah blah blah and there probably will be the same after Haye vs. Klitschko. At least it's got people talking about boxing which happens far too seldom these days.

This is the first time i can remember a boxer using an image to hype a fight, with the beheadings (in Iraq) still fresh-ish i do think it's a bit OTT and disrespectful.

Anyway Ben, with Hatton v Pacman only 10 days away shouldn't you be writing a blog for that... rather than a fight that's 2 months away?!

Go on Klitschko, knock out this piece of trash talking trash. He doesn't represent Britain. Far from it.

Fury1980 - i hope he does knock the K brothers out but the facts are that whilst Haye has 21 KO's on his record - which is obvioulsy very impressive - he is fighting a man bigger than he ever has before and he has been beaten by a cruiserweight and also taken the distance by another cruiserweight who has lost 15 fights... hardly the "knockout sensation" that goes beating up respected world heavy weight champions... i hope he does though...just don't beleive the hype..

and as for the "haye is selling tickets" argument put forward by some.. i think that is the exact problem.. he isn't selling any tickets hence the fact he has to resort to what he says are "silly little stunts"...

I think all the comments posted here have been really interesting. Boxers are in a sport where they have 'one on one' competition and there is a need to motivate yourself and ask questions of the opponent and the mental side is an important part of that. Great champions of the past have angered or intimidated opponents and this is all David Haye is attempting to do. The fight plan of a boxer can be altered by his state of mind. Mike Tyson thought he was so indestructible he did not even train to fight Buster Douglas and other champions have lost due to their state of mind on fight night. My opinion is that David Haye has his way of preparing and has a shot as the heavyweight title so he should promote the fight how he sees fit. If he is talking a lot of rubbish and does not have anything to back up his claims (and t-shirt) he will lose. I hope he wins as the heavyweight division is as dull as it has ever been.

Yes some of Hayes comments and actions may seem a little over the top, its how a fighter gets ready for the biggest fight of his life tho, Wlad saying will he start to speak about my Mum and Dad and insult my race etc well maybe if your Mum and Dad box theres a chance, stop being such a big baby. Haye is correct in saying Wlad is boring and is scraed to stand toe to toe, he has already siad I will box him for 11 rounds and then go for a KO, why not get in there and smash this little cruiserweight? he's nothing like his older brother who I do think is a true champ, Wlad bores me to death everytime I see him and I hope Haye does what Sanders did to Wlad, go on Haye I don't have to like you as a person and I wish you'd show more respect but I do love boxing and Wlad sucks, KO him

A lot of it is just sheer bravado to sell tickets, fair enough he did go a little close to the bone but for people to be so offended and make such a fuss is pathetic. Someone further up even blamed the recession on David Haye after all this????

The thing about Haye is, if you see him in an interview when he ISN'T training for a fight or trying to promote, he is actually a decent lad, very articulate and i think he comes across as quite likeable but supremely confident in himself so i wish people would give him a break and get behind him cos although Wlad is a boring, one dimensional champion, he is still a pretty mean guy who is technically very good and Haye will have his work cut out to beat him.

Boxing is frankly a brutal sport, why would one think that it's participants would be any less so? Their pay also often directly relates to ticket sales. This sort of fight promotion isn't new and people who are likely to want read/hear about it or indeed attend the fight aren't likely to be in anyway surprised or offended. A little bit of a non story really...

I admire the guts of Haye. He is an unproven heavyweight facing a well respected and decent (not World class) World Champion. The way he is hyping himself can go one of two ways, very badly, or very well - no middle ground. If he wins, he can tell the world he told them so. If he loses, I don't know whether he would ever cut the mustard at heavyweight.

But Haye has enormous belief in his abilities and his actions this week are indicative of his confidence in being able to beat Wladimir. The images of severed heads are there to sell the fight and raise interest in what would have been seemingly yet another boring Klitschko fight against an unproven and potentially overrated fighter.

This columnist is clueless when it comes to the world of boxing. Firstly David Haye is a breath of fresh air not only to the heavyweight division but to the sport as a whole.His smart approach to trash talking brings interest and his exciting style within the ring shows he also walks the walk.His KO record of over 90% indicates he has a very strong chance of taking Wlad out, especially when you consider he's already been KO'd three times in his career.

Therefore Ben Dirs is badly mistaken in labelling Haye firstly classless as without his intelligent provocation this important fight wouldn't be taking place and secondly dissmissing his chances as his speed brings something Wladimir has never faced.

I'd also like to comment on Ben's very poor article comparing Oscar Dela Hoya with David Beckham and labelling him a choker.Oscar deserves a great deal of respect for fighting at the highest for a prolonged period of time and was unlucky to lose some of the biggest fights of his career against the likes of Trinidad and Mosley (part 2).

Therefore Ben before you post your next blog please carry out the necessary research before passing judgement.