Assessing Haye

The Hayemaker returns to the ring in June - we ponder his next opponent as he seeks another title shot.

So, the Hayemaker will return to the ring on June 29 - the first of two fights this year as he looks to work his way into a mandatory position to challenge for a world title. For some, this is Haye 'going legit'. He won one heavyweight contest after ditching his hard-won cruiserweight belts in 2008 before winning the WBA title from Nicolai Valuev, a crucial bargaining chip in his quest to hunt down the Kiltschkos. Unsatisfatory defences against the veteran John Ruiz and over-matched Audley Harrison merely kept the pot bubbling before he finally met Wladimir in the summer of 2011 in a much-hyped unification. Haye's meek performance in Hamburg merely served to prove his detractors right - Haye had bought his way to a Klitschko with some cheap verbal shots and at times unbearable hyperbole. 'Retirement' beckoned following that defeat, but Haye is a fighting man at heart and after goading Dereck Chisora into a brawl at a press conference, the pair met in the ring last summer with Haye seemingly back to his best with a fifth-round stoppage of his fellow Londoner. David Haye is a brand, built upon his boxing prowess. His surprise apprearance in 'I'm a Celebrity' did wonders in promoting him to a wider audience. Looked upon favourably by the British public, he claims the verbal jousting is a thing of the past - he is ready to knuckle down and earn his stripes in the ring. Not that he has all that much to prove. He was a stellar cruiserweight champion, going after the best in the business at that time - Frenchman Jean-Marc Mormeck - and ripping the WBC and WBA straps from him in his own back yard. A blistering defeat of WBO king Enzo Maccarinelli only served to emphasise that Haye was unbeatable in a division that has rarely attracted the limelight. Heavyweight glory was the ultimate goal. And so five years on from marmalizing Maccarinelli, Haye finds himself ranked in the top five of all the sanctioning bodies, despite his inactivity. So which route does he take back to the top?

Rankings

I'm going to make two assumptions straight off; that a fight with Vitali Klitschko will never happen (Klitschko will retire this year) and one with Tyson Fury will be allowed to build, maybe for later this year or next. Besides, with Fury below Haye in all rankings bar the WBC, he doesn't need him right now. The other thing is, as a 'small' heavyweight Haye has already proved he has trouble dealing with huge guys like Valuev and Klitschko, and at 6ft 9in Fury may also be a difficult obstacle to overcome. What we do know is that fighters of the stature of Johnathan Banks, Alexander Povetkin and Kubrat Pulev - that is to say of similar height and build - are made for Haye. Povetkin, the WBA's 'regular' champion', has apparently been prevented from fighting Wladimir by his handlers either because he wasn't ready or they were demanding an absurd slice of the purse. The WBA want the pair to commit to a fight by August, but Povetkin has boxed only two rounds in 13 months and would be rusty. Could the winner of Povetkin v Haye on June 29 challenge Klitschko later this year? It's entirely plausible, Haye is after all top of the WBA rankings. Povetkin, as an Olympic champion, was late turning pro and has been slow to shake off the amateur style. He was fortunate to keep his 'title' against cruiserweight Marco Huck last February and has only fought a totally shot Hasim Rahman since. Haye would be a heavy favourite. The IBF could be another route - European champion Pulev heads their list of contenders - but whether he would be prepared to put his 17-0 record on the line against someone as dangerous as fourth-ranked Haye is doubtful. Of the others Banks - highly ranked by the WBO and WBC - is poised to rematch Seth Mitchell, whom he knocked out in two rounds last year, and as Klitschko's new trainer he is likely to proceed down the WBC route, the only belt Wladimir doesn't own. Haye finds Fury ahead of him in that list - for reasons already stated that fight is not likely to happen yet. Americans Bryant Jennings, Deontay Wilder and Tony Thompson do not bring enough to the table if Haye is serious about working his way into a mandatory position. Whoever he fights, and the money is on Povetkin, the division is a better one with an active Haye in it. Few could argue that he is the real deal should he regain the title at 32, and earn another showdown with his nemesis.