Boxing: David beats Goliath
David Haye, a brash south Londoner who has mastered the noble art of self-publicity, won a version of the world heavyweight title last night but not quite as he might have wished.
Read Ron Lewis's round-by-round account of the bout here
Haye promised to astonish the world and knock out the Russian giant Nikolai Valuev, the tallest (7ft) and heaviest (22st 8lb) holder of the heavyweight title in history. In the event, Haye won a dull contest in Nuremberg on points, only managing to hurt his huge adversary in the last of the 12 rounds.
The judges' scores may have been in doubt but the future for Haye is undoubtedly golden. For years, heavyweight boxing has been dominated by monolithic men from eastern Europe, unknown to the general public and unwanted in Las Vegas or New York, where the most lucrative contests are traditionally staged. As the World Boxing Association heavyweight champion, Haye knows how to sell himself.
It was his third fight in the heavyweight division. After unifying the many disparate world titles in the cruiserweight division, he moved up in weight in 2007, promising to conquer again. Many doubted he had the durability to succeed among the huge men and his stamina was suspect as well. Last night he dispelled those reservations and proved he had the tactics and discipline the occasion demanded.
Given such a disparity in size, it was understandable that Haye chose to fight at distance, staying well away from Valuev for the most part and launching sudden attacks from time to time. Valuev plodded predictably, unable to catch his much lighter and faster opponent.
Haye's caution was in part dictated by one of his rare forays into range. He caught Valuev with a right-hand punch to the top of the head in the second round. Valuev shook his head to indicate he had not been hurt.
But Haye had hurt himself. “It was like hitting a brick wall,” he said. In pain, and believing he might have broken his hand, Haye limited its use from that point until the last round. He then unleashed a fierce two-handed attack on the Russian to seal the title.
Valuev, who has never been floored as an amateur or professional, was caught by two punches to the head and began to sway as if he might topple. He did not, but at least Haye had managed to produce the fight's only significant episode of hurtful aggression.
Haye will now have the world's promoters beating a path to his door.