Oh and I think that Haye can break down the old warhorse in 7 or 8 (like he did with Mormeck) providing he sticks to his boxing, showing similar head movement to that he did against Valuev. If he goes out thinking he's David Tua there is a chance Ruiz could expose his lack of real stamina.

I'm going the fight tonight, very much looking forward to it. Haye to win in 8.

I break my Big Fight Live virginity tonight at this one and can't wait, I've been to amateur boxing before but never to a big event like this.

Haye by TKO within 9.

Anyone know what time Haye is due on ? Looking forward to this one.

11pm

Yep , Got it.

A joy to watch, an absolute masterclass from Haye.

Sensational....

Good show from Haye.He beat Ruiz up.

Absolutely superb performance from Haye. He bossed Ruiz throughout, and never looked troubled.

Inevitably the doubters will say he still hasn't proven he can take a shot from a heavyweight, however, he moves so well he hasn't needed to.

Bring on the Klitschkos. Based on tonight's performance, I see no reason why Haye shouldn't be aiming to unify the titles, and really take over the division.

Most exciting heavyweight fighter since Tyson.

great performance from haye... that ruiz is one tough guy though!

george groves looks a very good prospect.... would like to see him and degale fight at pro level

colin lynes - just retire!

Since Lewis. The way he dealt with Ruddock was eye opening. Eventually he put on more weight and became a more methodical fighter, if perhaps more boring.

I thoroughly enjoyed that last night. Good atmosphere at the MEN arena and to see four knock downs and 9 rounds was worth the money. He HAS to fight the Klitchkos now.

I doubt he CAN fight either now. Remember, Haye was forced to trade three fights under King/Sauerland (Kessler's promoter) for a shot at Valuev. Those guys will want their cut of the cake before he takes on a risky bout against either K. The smart money is on a re-match with Valuev as well as a fight with someone like Chagaev or maybe even Arreola before any unification bout.

Not what the fans want to see, but perhaps a blessing because - at this moment - Haye stands very little chance of beating either Klitschko. For all the big shots and knockdowns it's wise to remember:

1. Ruiz is not a top heavyweight (and his ranking reflects this). The guy had practically no defence other than to allow Haye's fist to break upon that rock he calls a head. Wladimir has an excellent defence (built around a brute of a jab) whereas Vitali has a bus for a chin.

2. Haye's defence is crap. Throughout that fight he was wide open to the counterpunch (someone needs to tell him to keep his phucking guard up) and was caught on three or four occasions. Fortunately his reflexes allowed him to slip the full force of those shots (not that Ruiz is a massive hitter anyway), but if he fights like that against either K (especially Wladimir) he'll get starched.

I mean, there were some good signs last night. Haye showed that he's retained his CW speed (which is they key to beating either K). He also showed genuine HW power and - best of all - he had the wit to throttle back when Ruiz got over his first round difficulties so that he didn't gas out in the later rounds (impressive, given that he's carrying an extra 20lbs).

What he needs to do now is: a) Develop his defence. Keep those hands high at all times and b) Develop his killer instinct. The latter is very important because on a couple of occasions when he had Ruiz in trouble he rushed in like a fool, throwing wild bombs that were there to be countered and burning up vital energy. Had that been either K he could easily have walked onto a bomb and that would have been the end of it. When the other guy is in trouble he must take a moment to compose himself and look only toward throwing targeted blows.

If he wises up I give him a 40/60 chance against either brother. For sure he has the speed and power to trouble them, but let's make no mistake here - the Ks haven't dominated the HW division for years through luck. They are both good technicians. Wlad is harder to hit but probably easier to KO. Vitali is the opposite. And both carry the equaliser.

Moving away from Haye - I was a bit disappointed with the undercard. George Groves was easily the highlight. I've been saying for two years this kid is the most talented prospect we've seen in Britain since Hamed. He has everything - a drill of a jab (which he doesn't use enough), hellish body punching, KO power in both fists, good counter-work (his short right is lethal), solid chin and a crowd-pleasing style. He put away a limited, but very durable opponent for a recognised belt in something like his eighth pro fight. That's some achievement.

Credit to Adam Booth for bumping his schedule. He could have easily done a Frank Warren and milked the kid against twenty tomato cans before giving him a shot at a belt. I wonder how long it will be before James DeGale (a Warren fighter who turned pro at the same time) gets a similar chance. I actually think DeGale is a lot better fighter than many give credit. He's filling out nicely at SMW (showing well in his last fight) and he now looks to be adding power to his prodigious boxing skills.

Felt a bit sorry for Colin Lynes. He's been a good pro for a number of years. Solid technician who just lacked that extra bit of power to make the difference.

Not sure WTF is happening with Jamie Moore. As usual he boxed like a moron against a guy who was always going to be a hard nut. The sad thing is Moore is A LOT better fighter than he appears. Unfortunately with him whenever the bell sounds tactics go out the window and he becomes obsessed with going toe-to-toe with fighters who he could easily beat if he boxed clever. I think his career is almost certainly over. Despite going up a weight he says he's still having problems losing the pounds. In the post-match interview he said he might go up another division. But if he's struggling to hurt a tough but modestly-gifted opponent at this weight he's no chance of hurting opponents another weight up.

I just don't see the big deal with the Klitchkos like some. They are effective in what they do (boring as f*ck to be honest), but nobody has ever tested them. They won't have faced anyone as quick or as powerful as Haye. The last time Vitali fought anyone decent was Lennox Lewis and he got battered. They are fighting in the weakest division with very little competition.

Haye has his flaws, but his head movement, speed and power is better than anything in the division.

I genuinely believe Haye can beat both, he just needs to box very smart and not try and bomb them out of there in one round.

Is it just me or is Adam Booth a top, top trainer?

It's not just you, trust me. He's done a great job with Haye.

It depends how you define the word "battered". Yes, his face looked like a side of corned beef when the fight was called off. But let's not forget that Vitali had Lennox in all sorts of trouble in the first three rounds (watch it on YT). He was hit with more BIG shots in nine minutes than he received in his previous nine fights. Yes, he did rally in the fourth (hitting Vitali with a monstrous uppercut that he just took) and yes, he did look like he was getting himself back in the fight. But the fact remains Lennox was down on all the judges scorecards and when the ring doctor called an end to it all he looked absolutely phucked on his stool. I doubt he had more than a round left in the tank. The crowd sided with Vitali and Lennox looked very sheepish when interviewed.

I have mixed feelings toward the Ks. They ARE a lot better fighters than people give credit, but there's no doubt they are boring to watch. But then, the same criticism was said of Lewis for much of his career. He only really got the respect he deserved when he put Rahman away in the rematch.

Vitali is definitely the superior fighter. He lacks Wladimir's power (although not by much), but his defence and chin are better, making him a much tougher opponent. That said, I watched him in his last fight and he looked old. Too many injuries. Too much time away from the sport. It all adds up.

Under Steward, Wlad has turned into a very cagey customer. His tactics are pretty simple - keep the fight at distance behind his excellent jab, clinch if an opponent does manage to get inside (not easy) and look to unload the straight right (which is a bomb - check out Wlad's KO %) past the sixth when his opponent is beginning to tire.

To beat Wlad you need to be fast. Fast enough to get inside and deliver a heavy shot before he wraps those bear arms around you. If I were Adam Booth I'd tell Haye to fight almost in a semi-crouch. There's no way Haye's chin can hold up to more than a handful of those straight rights so he's got to try and take away that weapon. For a fighter staying low the counterpunch is the uppercut, but Wlad doesn't really have one so he'll be forced to hit downward, which takes away some of his power. Crouch and circle away from the punch.

The only way he's going to win is by forcing Wlad to fight outside of his comfort zone. He'll want to keep Haye at bay (he'll be very wary of Haye's power) - soften him up and then take him out in the latter rounds. Haye can't afford to fight to Wlad's tune. He MUST be aggressive. He MUST beat him to the punch and he MUST use his natural advantage of speed.



It's dangerous to think like this. The HW division isn't as bad as you think. Sure, there are no Joe Fraziers or George Foremans knocking about, but there ARE plenty of solid, heavy-hitting and tough opponents who can take Haye into deep water. Guys like Chagaev, Boytsov, Povetkin and Arreola are much better than Ruiz and would give Haye a host of difficulties. Far more sobering is the fact that Wlad isn't threatened in the least by any of these grizzled pros.

I think Booth is probably the best promoter in Britain (he's certainly revolutionised the British fight scene) and has a sharp business brain. I'm not sure about him as a trainer. I think he's very clued up on the psychology of boxing. But Haye's open guard doesn't do Booth much credit.

Fair points Muggy, noticed that Groves' guard was open for quite alot of his fight as well. Seeing alot more low guards up at the top level these days in actual fact, Froch being the worst culprit of all of course.

How far does everyone think Groves can go? Surely the dream fight is a grudge match with DeGale? Not sure DeGale really fancies it at this moment in time though, he's rather fight a few more tomato cans. Groves ma not in fact be as talented as DeGale, but he's already gained far more valuable experience in the pro ring than DeGale has IMO.

Haye's performance considering he hadn't sparred for a month, and was clearly a little bit out of shape was superb - I think he finished the fight with 40% punch success rate. His defense was poor at times, but I'm sure he'll be working very hard on that. I'd like to see him move his head more and keep his hands higher. Personnally I see no reason why he can't beat the K brothers. Vitalli is almost 40(?), and is getting slower with each fight, and Vlad has always had a glass jaw, and if Haye lands one of his bombs on him its all over.

haye has a glass jaw too though in my opinion, keeping that hand held down low all the time may be his downfall

He doesn't have a glass jaw at all. Yes he's been down a few times in his career, and he's always got up and won. Stamina is a bigger issue for him IMO.

Haye's jaw is always going to be a worry; he still hasn't taken a solid punch at heavy weight.

That said, it's more important to avoid the big hits in this division than to be able to take them; very few heavy weights can take a clean hit on the chin and shrug it off; Ruiz made a good effort on Saturday, and obviously Vitali has a jaw chizzled from rock seemingly.

Haye probably moves better than most heavyweights, and is certainly one of the most athletic. With practice, if he learns to move his head a little more and keep his bloody hands up, strangely, I think his questionable jaw will be less exposed at heavyweight than cruiserweight, given the lack of speed in the heavier division.

Although he's been sat down a fair few times at cruiserweight, if he struggled to make the weight at all (I think most would acknowledge he's a natural heavyweight) and had to drastically reduce his intake in the few days prior to the fight that will have messed up his punch resistence no end.


As for the task ahead of him, I think it's achieveable. I just hope he doesn't have to fanny on with another fight against Valuev; no one wants to see that lump fight, and I certainly don't want a rematch with Valuev to eat into Haye's time left at the top.

Out of the two Klitschko brothers, I don't know who I'd rather he faced. Wlad would be more diffuclt to hit, but easier to put down, and Vitali probably packs a bigger punch but his jab isn't as effective. Either fight would be a great encounter.

David Haye can be a good champion in this division because the division as a whole is so desperately poor. His chin, punch, power and stamina should not be good enough for the heavy weight division but the fighters he is likely to face are poor heavyweights and therefore he will survive.

Groves is the real deal. He has a cracking amateur pedigree and was very unlucky not to go to the Olympics. I don't agree he's not as talented at DeGale. Perhaps he's not quite as slick (only just), but he's got more power, has a better jab (the best I've seen from a British boxer in years) and there is no comparison with respect to body punching. I can't say I'm all that happy with his low hands, but that's his style. He tends to ride a punch and when he has been hit he's looked steady. Froch invited him to training camp prior to the Taylor fight and the word is he gave him a handful of trouble.

I am slightly worried about his hands. They haven't caused him trouble so far - but anyone who hits that hard runs the risk of breakages. I am really excited about this kid. And I'm not trying to do DeGale down here. He's coming along nicely and I think he's genuine title material also. I just wish he wasn't with phucking Warren.

Mark my words, we are on the verge of the greatest era of British boxing in thirty years. Forget old warhorses like Ricky Hatton and Calzaghe. There are super-talented kids coming through by the bucketload.

As for the other stuff - Wlad's chin isn't Ali's - but it aint glass, either. Anyone who thinks he'll keel over the first punch Haye puts on him is going to be disappointed. Yes, Corrie Sanders dropped him. But Sanders could always bang, even if he couldn't do much else.