The otherwise seemingly lifeless heavyweight division could be awoken with this proposed bout between Tyson “Too Fast” Fury (21-0, 15KO) and David “Hayemaker” Haye (26-2, 24KO).
If the scrap comes to fruition, the lead-up to the fight itself will more than likely be PPV-worthy in its own right – the trashtalking, funny, all-singing and sometimes cringeworthy Fury, paired up with the equally uncomfortable trashtalking, sometimes-spewing style of Haye will, without a shadow of a doubt, be great viewing for fight fans.
Tyson Fury recently gave an interview alongside Haye’s trainer and manager – Adam “The Dark Lord” Booth – to Channel 5 and also iFilm London.
“I have very, very exciting news tonight,” said Fury. “I was minding my own business over there and I bumped into Adam Booth, so we got him on camera and we asked him: “Why is the David Haye fight not being done?” and he said: “Do you want the fight?” so I said: “Two million percent. The ball is in your court so call me tomorrow morning.”
“Booth said: ‘I can’t see why this fight cannot be done” – “So there it is from the horse’s mouth. Adam Booth says he wants this fight. The fight is 99% baby!”
I Just had a brief chat with Tyson’s cousin and fellow heavyweight fighter Hughie Fury via Twitter, in which he said: “Not got a date but 99 percent it’s going ahead.”
So it seems it’s genuinely looking serious at this stage. With that in mind, here are a few bullet points to consider regarding Fury’s chances:
- Does Fury have a weaker chin than Wladimir Klitschko?
- We have to take into account that Fury has a longer reach and is taller than Klitschko.
- Haye struggled with Klitschko due to the size/reach/weight differential and looked silly at times.
- The blueprint for Fury to beat Haye on the cards is to fight the same fight Wladimir did.
- The questions are: Can Fury fight that style of fight, without getting drawn into Haye’s type of fight? And can Fury protect his chin in a similar manner to Klitschko?
- I can see Fury winning on the cards if he can keep his distance and pick shots to take the rounds from Haye.
- Haye can be a smart fighter if he fights to a plan, as he showed againt Nikolai Valuev, though compared to Fury, Valuev is very sluggish.
I am not saying Fury is as polished a fighter as Wladimir Klitschko at this juncture, but he is certainly a bigger threat than the gigantic Valuev was to David Haye.
It all depends on how Fury sets up for what Haye brings, which is one-punch assaults and clever one-twos.
If Fury can use his long jab and keep it in Haye’s face in a manner similar to that of Wladimir Klitschko, Haye will get frustrated and go for an all-out attack, which could well be his downfall as he will likely gas.
Remember Haye vs Chisora – five rounds and Haye was blowing in his corner between rounds, and that was after a year out of the ring. If he fights Fury, he will have been out of the ring longer and will be a year older, making him likely to be rustier than he was for the Chisora bout.
I do think that if Haye connects early on with a big right, Fury will be in serious trouble, as the Bermondsey man will be full of energy and, with Fury dazed, it could be all over before it really begins. Equally, if the fight goes past the midway point, I see Fury taking the rounds by keeping distance. If he can’t keep his distance and at least semi-protect his whiskers, he may well suffer an early KO.
I think it all comes down to how cleverly Fury can box – he has to stick solidly to a plan of protecting his chin, keeping distance and looking for the counters as he forces Haye to jump in on the inside. We’ve seen Fury get out of his game plan previously, so it would be very interesting to see how both set out their stalls early doors.
I honestly don’t think this fight is far off from being announced.
Haye pulling out of his bout with Syrian Manuel Charr with a hand injury, and Fury pulling out of his final eliminator against Kubrat Pulev, speak volumes to me. I also don’t believe that Haye has an injured hand – I suspect it’s an excuse to get out of his bout with Charr and set up a high-income PPV clash with Tyson Fury. I couldn’t blame him for doing so if I am honest – it is prizefighting after all.
Lets see what happens over the coming weeks.
