Showing posts with label Klitschko. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Klitschko. Show all posts

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Haye makes Klitschko trainer wary

By Ben Dirs
BBC Sport in Hamburg Venue: Imtech Arena, Hamburg, GermanyDate: Saturday, 2 JulyStart: From 2200 BSTCoverage: Live text commentary on BBC Sport website; live on Sky Box Office (subscription required)Haye 'in best shape of career'

Wladimir Klitschko's trainer Emanuel Steward has conceded his charge has not met anyone with David Haye's confidence and belief for almost six years.

Briton Haye, the WBA champion, and the Ukrainian IBF and WBO title-holder meet in Saturday's heavyweight fight.

"Haye brings to the ring, speed, power and the mindset of a winner," Steward told BBC Sport in Hamburg.

"He's confident and that's something Wladimir hasn't experienced since his first fight with Sam Peter [in 2005]."

Trainers ready for battle

Steward added: "There's a whole new energy that Haye brings that Wladimir has not had to deal with since then."

Klitschko was knocked down three times by Peter, before going on to outpoint the Nigerian, but the 35-year-old three-time world champion has won nine of his 10 fights since inside the distance.

The two protagonists engaged in media workouts on Wednesday, where the psychological warfare continued.

Klitschko's camp arrived earlier than planned and attempted to block Haye's path to the venue, which led Haye's camp to seek out an alternative entrance.

There followed the bizarre sight of Klitschko's entourage watching ringside as Haye went through a light workout, during which the Englishman, a right-hander, was throwing punches from a southpaw stance.

Earlier, Haye continued his campaign to wind up Klitschko by tweeting a link to a film featuring Adolf Hitler, with mock subtitles added which refer to preparations for their bout.

Haye, 30, has continually sought to goad his rival in the build-up with various tasteless comments and stunts - and Haye claims the gamesmanship has got to Klitschko.

Continue reading the main story

"I'm in a good place but Wladimir looks rather wound up," Haye told BBC Sport.

"He's never cussed me in the past but on Monday [at the head-to-head news conference] he was effing and blinding, which was nice, it showed he was out of his comfort zone.

"Everything I've done has worked perfectly. Even Manny Steward was real riled up and had to take a back seat. Their whole team seems rattled and Wladimir's going to get rattled on Saturday night, I'm sure."

But Steward said he was confident Klitschko, who has 55 wins and 49 knockouts from 58 pro bouts, would keep his cool at the Imtech Arena, where 50,000 are expected on fight night.

"Wladimir being more motivated and emotionally charged for this fight is something I enjoy," said Steward, who also trained Lennox Lewis and Thomas Hearns, among many others.

"He will not get away from his boxing strategy, it just means he will let his muscles go a lot faster than in the past.

"He will come in with confidence and with a strategy learnt from his defeats against [Corrie] Sanders and [Lamon] Brewster. What he's gained in almost 60 fights is knowing how to stay patient and how to follow orders. He will be OK."

Steward added that he doubted Haye has a new strategy for the fight, as has been suggested by Haye's trainer Adam Booth.

"David, regardless of what he might say is going to do, will come out and fight the way he fought [Nikolay] Valuev [from whom Haye won the WBA belt in 2009] and all his other fights against big guys.

"He'll move out of the way and explode at select times and stand at a distance. Wladimir is going to have to force the fight."


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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Klitschko angry at Haye comments

Venue: Imtech Arena, Hamburg, GermanyDate: Saturday, 2 JulyStart: From 2200 BSTCoverage: Live text commentary on BBC Sport website; live on Sky Box Office (subscription required)Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye fight in Germany on Saturday Wladimir Klitschko has called David Haye's pre-fight goading "disgraceful and disrespectful" ahead of Saturday's heavyweight title fight in Germany.

The Ukrainian was angered by the Londoner's comments about executions, decapitations and ambulances.

"This game, this sport, is very intense and unfortunately there have been a lot of cases where people have been handicapped and people have died during and after fights," said Klitschko.

"It's not something to joke about."

Britain's Haye, the WBA champion, previously wore a T-shirt showing him decapitating the Klitschko brothers (Wladimir and Vitali). He wore a new version of that on Monday.

McGuigan "convinced" Haye will KO Klitschko

And the 30-year-old added: "This is going to be the most brutal execution of a boxer that you've seen for many, many years.

"I'm going to go out there and absolutely destroy him, really quickly."

The Londoner also claimed Wladimir Klitschko's coach Emanuel Steward had told him he would "love" to help him beat his own fighter's brother, Vitali.

"Manny said he'd love to train me after I've bashed up Wladimir, his own fighter, on July 2.

"He reckoned that if we joined forces I would be in prime position to take down Vitali later in the year. He was deadly serious about it, too."

Haye earlier responded to a challenge made by Wladimir's brother Vitali - the WBC champion - on Monday.

Vitali, a potential future opponent for Haye, asked the Brit to guarantee he will face the media after the bout.

"I'm coming for you after the fight," said Haye.

"Don't go to the hospital with your brother. Make sure you're there, don't go with the ambulance."

It was a jibe that further angered 35-year-old Wladimir ahead of their fight in Hamburg.

"No matter what, it is disgraceful and disrespectful for a man to wish to damage your health," said the IBF and WBO champion.

Continue reading the main story

"It's something you do not say. I felt embarrassed at the way David Haye acted in the press conference. Because it also casts a shadow on the sport.

"I think with all the wins that he got recently he became really cocky and totally big-headed."

Haye is no stranger to controversy and in November said his heavyweight title fight with Audley Harrison would be as "one-sided as a gang rape".

The Brit has also refused Wladimir's handshake every time it has been offered, creating further bad feeling between the two men.

And Haye, ever the entrepreneur, has also introduced a game to the burgeoning smartphone 'app' market called 'David Haye's Knockout', with users playing as Haye aiming to knock the head off a giant eastern European.


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