It was a bad way to start the day. A fight I have been eagerly awaiting since the epic fight with Monte Barrett has now been potentially cancelled, and at the very least it has been postponed! News broke out early this morning that David Haye was being forced to pull from the agreed 20th June date due to a back injury. Many people seemed keen to believe that there was no injury, it was simply the case the David has realised the enormity of the task ahead and had bottled it, and there were quickly hundreds of comments appearing in all the boxing forums. Other conspiracy theorists think that this may be a ploy by the Haye camp to disturb the Klitschko training regime, as they are known for playing ‘mind games’ as with the Maccarinelli fight where they gave the impression they were struggling with the cruiserweight limit, only to weigh-in easily under the limit looking very lean.
Personally I don’t believe it one bit (and Steve Bunce agrees with me!). Haye has been literally gagging for this fight since he controversially confronted Wladimir in London, and definitely sees the Klitschko’s as easy targets. Although they both have huge genetic advantages, Wladimir lacks the killer instinct and possibly the chin needed to defeat Haye. Wladimir is a very defensive fighter, and doesn’t like fighting pressure fighters where he is not able to utilise his long jab.
While avidly listening to Steve Bunce’s boxing hour, Adam Booth had a phone interview where he explained just how gutted David was to have to pull out of the fight. He also explained that this is not an ‘instant’ injury but one that has been building up over time. Aggressive physiotherapy and rest is needed and they have already flown Haye back to a specialist in the UK to begin treatment. The Haye camp is hoping that this is a merely a set back, and are hoping that this will only postpone the fight for 3 weeks. However, TV deals and the event have all been arranged, and Wladimir who has already waited until June for the fight (he originally wanted a March/April date) may use this opportunity to get out of the fight. Many people have questioned if Wladimir actually really wanted to fight Haye anyway as it is a dangerous fight for both. This maybe the perfect opportunity to fight Chagaev who recently had to deal with a cancellation with Nikolai Valuev. Either way, the Klitschko camp holds all the cards on this. From their point of view, fighting on the 20th June maintains all the original preparation, TV deals etc and is a much easier fight.
Personally I hope that Klitschko agrees to postpone the fight although I think this is unlikely (I’m also hoping for a miraculous recovery from Haye!). Many British fans will cancel, and will need refunds on tickets, travel, hotels etc. We will find out more over the next 2-3 days, and we will be watching the news reports closely – watch this space.
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Posted in: Boxing News
Tags: 20th june, cancel fight, David Haye, postpone fight, wladimir klitschko
Haye defo bottled it cud of sed it ages ago if it was true about his back he just knew vlad wud jab his face off