From Fightnews.
On Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London David Haye (20-1, 19 KOs) squares off against Enzo Maccarinelli (28-1, 21 KOs) under the Sports Network promotion "Bombs Away". An expected crowd of 20,000 is expected to make it one of the most eagerly awaited UK fights in the last ten years. At stake are the WBC and WBA cruiserweight titles that the 27-year-old Haye brings to the table and the WBO title owned by Welshman Maccarinelli. In addition to the unification status, the fight brings anticipation and excitement of two renowned knock-out artists landing one of their big knockout punches. Indeed many ringside observers are predicting that it will be a question of who lands first with their power that wins the fight.
The fight will take place in the UK live on Setanta Sports and also live in the US on SHOWTIME.
In the build up to the fight WBA/WBC champion David Haye has set up training camp in Miami with long time trainer Adam Booth. They will return to the UK in the week of the fight to finish their camp. Much of the build up has been made about the weight making aspect for Haye to get to the 200 pound cruiserweight championship limit. When he won the WBA and WBC titles from Jean-Marc Mormeck in November 2007 he stated after the bout this would be his last fight at Cruiserweight and he would test his skills at Heavyweight for the future. Indeed, there were discussions taking place with former WBC Heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman to take on the "Hayemaker" in his new weight class.
In the Mormeck fight, Haye did look on shaky legs when he was dropped in the fourth round but showed character and strength to get up and stop the champion in the 7th round. He confirmed at ringside that he didn't feel strong at the weight and would move up to heavyweight.
A few weeks after the fight in Paris Frank Warren was able to convince Haye that the british boxing public was in demand for a cruiserweight unification fight. He reportedly offered Haye his career best purse and they both signed for the 8th March promotion entitled "Bombs Away".
One of the reasons for Haye's trouble in making the 200 pound limit for the Mormeck fight was that he came down from 231 pounds in his April fight of 2007 when he stopped Tomasz Bonin inside a round. He trained in the severe heat of Northern Cyprus to remove some 30 pounds for the bout and such was the supreme condition versus Bonin this was 30 pounds of muscle.
In the build up for the Maccarinelli fight however he confirmed, "Once the Mormeck fight was finished I was convinced my best weight would be heavyweight but after I looked at the tape and saw how I performed then I didn't seem to look as bad as how I felt in the ring. I knew the British boxing fans were talking of the fight with Enzo and so I took care of what I ate and only moved some 4 pounds above the 200 pound limit. This will give me a much better starting point than the 231 pounds I weighed before I took on Mormeck. I was walking around at sixteen stone previously but for this fight the weight making will not be such a great issue."
Such is Haye's confidence in the fight he predicted he would KO the WBO champion Macarinelli inside a round. He feels he has superior power in his right hand that stopped Mormeck and has helped create 19 stoppage wins inside the distance. He said, "The outcome is a foregone conclusion. It will be clinical. I will be ruthless, and I will take him out inside a round."
Some feel that this targeted strategy of Haye is a smoke screen for a more concerted boxing effort. Indeed, Haye has the superior amateur pedigree and in 2001 won a silver at the World Amateur Championships when he gave Cuban Odlanier Solis a standing eight count before getting stopped and taking the silver medal. Despite his noted power he does have good boxing ability and perhaps will try and take Macarinelli into the later rounds.
On the surface however, the likely outcome is a much anticipated power match up of noted big punchers. David Haye does possess a potent right hand and the way he stopped recent victims Alexander Gurov inside a round for the EBU European cruiserweight title in December 2005 and Tomasz Bonin at heavyweight in April 2006 inside 45 seconds shows that magnitude of his power in the right hand. Indeed the way he stopped Mormeck was impressive against a noted rugged fighter who had only been stopped once previous in 36 fights against O'Neill Bell and who then avenged the defeat in his next fight.
Overall WBA and WBC champion David Haye is supremely confident of victory on Saturday and his prediction of a first round stoppage is certainly due to attract further comment from Team Maccarinelli in the build up this week.
Coverage on Setanta Sports in the UK starts at 10.30pm with the fight expected to take place around 2am GMT.
On Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London David Haye (20-1, 19 KOs) squares off against Enzo Maccarinelli (28-1, 21 KOs) under the Sports Network promotion "Bombs Away". An expected crowd of 20,000 is expected to make it one of the most eagerly awaited UK fights in the last ten years. At stake are the WBC and WBA cruiserweight titles that the 27-year-old Haye brings to the table and the WBO title owned by Welshman Maccarinelli. In addition to the unification status, the fight brings anticipation and excitement of two renowned knock-out artists landing one of their big knockout punches. Indeed many ringside observers are predicting that it will be a question of who lands first with their power that wins the fight.
The fight will take place in the UK live on Setanta Sports and also live in the US on SHOWTIME.
In the build up to the fight WBA/WBC champion David Haye has set up training camp in Miami with long time trainer Adam Booth. They will return to the UK in the week of the fight to finish their camp. Much of the build up has been made about the weight making aspect for Haye to get to the 200 pound cruiserweight championship limit. When he won the WBA and WBC titles from Jean-Marc Mormeck in November 2007 he stated after the bout this would be his last fight at Cruiserweight and he would test his skills at Heavyweight for the future. Indeed, there were discussions taking place with former WBC Heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman to take on the "Hayemaker" in his new weight class.
In the Mormeck fight, Haye did look on shaky legs when he was dropped in the fourth round but showed character and strength to get up and stop the champion in the 7th round. He confirmed at ringside that he didn't feel strong at the weight and would move up to heavyweight.
A few weeks after the fight in Paris Frank Warren was able to convince Haye that the british boxing public was in demand for a cruiserweight unification fight. He reportedly offered Haye his career best purse and they both signed for the 8th March promotion entitled "Bombs Away".
One of the reasons for Haye's trouble in making the 200 pound limit for the Mormeck fight was that he came down from 231 pounds in his April fight of 2007 when he stopped Tomasz Bonin inside a round. He trained in the severe heat of Northern Cyprus to remove some 30 pounds for the bout and such was the supreme condition versus Bonin this was 30 pounds of muscle.
In the build up for the Maccarinelli fight however he confirmed, "Once the Mormeck fight was finished I was convinced my best weight would be heavyweight but after I looked at the tape and saw how I performed then I didn't seem to look as bad as how I felt in the ring. I knew the British boxing fans were talking of the fight with Enzo and so I took care of what I ate and only moved some 4 pounds above the 200 pound limit. This will give me a much better starting point than the 231 pounds I weighed before I took on Mormeck. I was walking around at sixteen stone previously but for this fight the weight making will not be such a great issue."
Such is Haye's confidence in the fight he predicted he would KO the WBO champion Macarinelli inside a round. He feels he has superior power in his right hand that stopped Mormeck and has helped create 19 stoppage wins inside the distance. He said, "The outcome is a foregone conclusion. It will be clinical. I will be ruthless, and I will take him out inside a round."
Some feel that this targeted strategy of Haye is a smoke screen for a more concerted boxing effort. Indeed, Haye has the superior amateur pedigree and in 2001 won a silver at the World Amateur Championships when he gave Cuban Odlanier Solis a standing eight count before getting stopped and taking the silver medal. Despite his noted power he does have good boxing ability and perhaps will try and take Macarinelli into the later rounds.
On the surface however, the likely outcome is a much anticipated power match up of noted big punchers. David Haye does possess a potent right hand and the way he stopped recent victims Alexander Gurov inside a round for the EBU European cruiserweight title in December 2005 and Tomasz Bonin at heavyweight in April 2006 inside 45 seconds shows that magnitude of his power in the right hand. Indeed the way he stopped Mormeck was impressive against a noted rugged fighter who had only been stopped once previous in 36 fights against O'Neill Bell and who then avenged the defeat in his next fight.
Overall WBA and WBC champion David Haye is supremely confident of victory on Saturday and his prediction of a first round stoppage is certainly due to attract further comment from Team Maccarinelli in the build up this week.
Coverage on Setanta Sports in the UK starts at 10.30pm with the fight expected to take place around 2am GMT.
