David Haye vs Nikolai Valuev: Both Men Have Hard Work Ahead

In a dramatic pitting of Size versus Skill, heavyweight contender David “The Haymaker” Haye of England will try to dethrone the 2-time and reigning WBA heavyweight champion, the 7-foot, 300-pounder Nikolai Valuev of Russia on November 2, Saturday, at the Arena Nürnberger Versicherung, Nuremberg, Bayern, Germany.

The smaller Haye, who sports a 6’3 frame, have predicted a knockout victory over the giant. While decking a man of the size of Valuev is almost impossible, a decision victory for Haye is not a farfetched reality.

Here are my points.

For starters, Valuev, despite his fearsome exterior, may have lost his touch for knocking out his opponents. While I do not discount the power generated by the Russian Giant, his last five fights went the distance. Most notable fights would be his wins over Evander Holyfield and John Ruiz and his loss to Ruslan Chagaev.

Valuev, if faced with a much skillful opponent, can be outpointed, outboxed, and outworked, as evidenced by his bouts against Chagaev and Holyfield.

Haye, who just recently moved to the heavyweight division, has more finesse than Holyfield and Chagaev, and perhaps more power too. Quite certainly, Haye has the skills required if he wants to win on points against the behemoth from Russia.

He can slip in throw some fast combinations and laterals to either left or right and threw more punches before pulling away.

The slow and sluggish Valuev will have little time to react to any assault the Englishman will concoct come fight night. Simply put, speed and skill will be Haye’s bestfriends in this bout.

That said, I also believe that Valuev can knock Haye out. If the giant can impose his will using his sheer size and reach advantage and pin Haye to the ropes, Valuev can wear the Englishman and set him up for the finish. But with Haye’s speed and superior boxing skills, it might be a herculean task for Valuev to press Haye and make him pay.

My prediction: David Haye via UD


Boxer Profile

David Haye

Record: 22 W 1 L 0 D 21 KOs
Alias: Hayemaker
Weightclass: Heavyweight
Stance: Orthodox
Style: Boxer
Height: 6'3"
Reach: 80"
Nationality: London, England
Date of Birth: October 13th, 1980

Nikolai Valuev

Record: 50 W 1 L 0 D 34 KOS
Alias: The Russian Giant
Weightclass: Heavyweight
Stance: Orthodox
Style: Boxer
Height: 7'0"
Reach: 85"
Nationality: St.Petersburg, Russia
Date of Birth: August 21st, 1973