Filed under: Boxing
David Haye limped theatrically out of a rain-soaked Imtech Arena in Hamburg last night after being outclassed for 12 rounds by Wladimir Klitschko and while the brash Londoner was nursing a broken toe, his damaged ego will no doubt have been causing him just as much pain.Haye was brimming with confidence going into the unification clash but he surrendered his WBA title to the WBO and IBF champion without much of a fight and, judging by his post-fight demeanour, his morale seems as battered as his baby toe.
The 30-year-old predicted he would finish Klitschko off within six rounds but he never got close to the Ukrainian as the old boxing saying of a good big guy beats a good small guy rang true in the German city.
Broken toe or not, Haye was never going to be able to deal with the size difference which, as soon as the fight began, became apparent it would be a crucial factor in the outcome of the heavyweight showdown.
Klitschko had two stone in weight on the British fighter, four inches in height and, most importantly, three inches in reach advantage as his jab kept Haye off him for the majority of the 36 minutes of intriguing action.
The Londoner rarely breached Klitschko's defence but when he did, the clever Ukrainian held, pushed and did whatever he could to keep Haye off him.
While it was illegal at times, it was an intelligent tactic but one Haye and trainer Adam Booth were expecting yet they failed to come up with a way to deal with it despite their claims of having a superb strategy to take down the bigger man in Klitschko.
The 30-year-old wants a rematch but his manner before the fight, which infuriated Klitschko, may mean he never gets another shot at the Ukrainian, especially if he goes through with his self-imposed retirement date of October 13.
After all his pre-fight talk, Haye finally showed Klitschko respect after his demoralising defeat but he also blamed the broken toe for what turned out to be one-sided affair.
"I feel okay physically. I took a few shots, a lot more than I usually do but that's heavyweight boxing, that's what happens when there is two champions in the ring - look at both our faces," explained Haye.
"I wasn't able to land my attacks as I like to. The reason for that firstly is because he has a great defence - it was definitely part of the reason.
"I hate excuses - it makes me sick but I broke my toe three weeks ago, and there was no way I was going to pull out of this fight.
"I was unable to shoot off my right foot to let my right hand go and that's what I feel didn't allow me to open Wladimir up.
"That's boxing, you sometimes don't get it your own way. He hit me with some great shots, but he didn't knock me down.
"I'm gutted that I wasn't able to do what I needed to do. This has still put heavyweight boxing back on the map. Wladimir has had 56 fights and this is the one that has reached out to everyone."
Haye claimed he could not let his fans down by pulling out of the eagerly-anticipated match up after breaking his toe in training just 21 days before the big night.
But those supporters will have still felt short changed as they left the Imtech Arena, soaked by the wet weather and drenched in disappointment by their man's showing.
"I genuinely believed I could still have won the fight - I had some local anaesthetic and I thought on fight night I could numb it and the crowd, the occasion would help me forget about it," Haye explained.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing of course but Haye never should have got in the ring if he was not fully fit with so much at stake. The British fighter would have taken a lot of flak for pulling out at such late notice but, in the biggest fight of his career, he should have ensured he was in prime condition.
Now the 30-year-old, who wants to retire before he turns 31 in October, has to consider his options and decide if it is worthwhile fighting on.
"I never anticipated on losing so I have to sit down and think about what I'm going to do next. I've always said I would retire in October but we will have to think about it," he added.
Haye may have to shelve his plans for retirement this autumn if he wants a rematch with Klitschko as he would be better served with an easy fight to restore his broken confidence before stepping up to challenge the Ukrainian for a second time.
The Londoner wants to be a movie star when he does hang up his gloves but he will need to show a lot of character if he is to become a box-office attraction in the ring again.
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