Why David Haye should join in and not ignore Wladimir Klitschko’s mindgames

Klitschko offers Haye a handshake - should the latter shake it and play up to former's mindgames?

The opening minutes of the show indicted the tense stand off between two warriors, both cooped up in their rooms preparing for a verbal battle. But the media build up to the heavyweight unification fight between David Haye and Wladimir Klitschko has seen contrasting performances delivered by both men.

Ringside presenters Adam Smith and Johnny Nelson walked towards the camera, speaking slowly to wet the anticipation even further. Any viewer tuning in would be thinking? Was Muhammed Ali joining them? Nope. They ambled their way through the corridor to confirm that Haye and Klitschko were on the show but that the former wouldn’t be sitting alongside his arch rival.

It was an unfortunate drab conclusion, to what has been an intriguing look in from the outside, of the mindsets of both fighters as they begin to near to their meeting in Hamburg on July 2^nd.

On the back of a feisty press conference in America, both men jetted to Germany where on a beautiful sunshine strewn day, they took pictures for the media and in a moment encapsulated the frame of mind of each man.

Haye, wearing a clean white tracksuit had raised his left index finger in the posture that all boxers tend do in these organised photography moments. His opponent on the other hand, dressed in formal attire, was waving his right hand in front of Haye, making light of the whole situation.

Since 2008, when Haye confronted a started Klitschko in a London hotel, the man from Bermondsey has publicly engaged in trash talking of the highest level to try and get the heavyweight championship fight he wants. Belitting Klitschko’s style, his choosing of opponents, entertainment value and decapitating both their heads (not literally obviously) for a darkly themed t-shirt that he wore to their press conference in 2009, when they were scheduled to fight before Haye pulled out due to injury.

In the media briefings in Hamburg and London, Haye has been uncharacteristically quiet. What we have seen are the customary complaints of his opponent and the foreboding of his doom in the ring. After years of public insults, I was hoping for something fresh. Haye, speaking to Smith and Nelson on Ringside (after Klitschko had left) said he was bottling his emotions for the fight due to take place but at what cost in the promotion of it?

Fights like these, especially in the heavyweight divison which has lacked sparkle for many years, needs brightening up with more column inches written, more TV air time taken for the most meaningful battle in many years. Haye, who has complained of the lack of entertainment in the division, is now turning his back on the principle which he most complained about.

It’s at this juncture that praise must be given to his opponent, who maybe sensing Haye’s changed demeanour and has taken advantage with a media strategy of his own. In years gone by, interviews I had seen with Wladimir, had left me feeling agreeing with Haye’s stark assessment of the Ukrainian.

Whether it has been pre-planned or he has been given advice by a comedian or a PR guru, the 35-year-old younger brother of Vitali is now displaying a different side to his previous robot like exterior.

Compared to Haye’s straight to the point comments, Klitschko has reverted to using humour to show the world that he is in a better mood heading into the showdown.

Having in the past been bold and brash in his statements, Haye’s recent moves have left me disappointed and feel they are hindering his psychological mindset for the fight.

By refusing to sit alongside Klitschko in the Ringside or other studios, it gives the impression that he is somewhat intimidated or that his co-star will end up coming out of a verbal confrontation the better with his newly found humoristic talents

He did something similar when he was preparing to face old enemy Audley Harrison in November 2010, when he did not appear on the comfy Soccer AM studio alongside Helen Chamberlain and Max Rushden to engage in jousting with Harrison. Giving the exact same reason as he has done with Klitschko, Haye said he had tired of seeing his opponent’s face after coming through media conferences with him.

By not engaging with his opponent in face to face situations, Haye is only providing ammunition to Klitschko, his supporters and sceptical sections of the media that the fighter is hiding his nervousness for the fight through non appearances at scheduled media interviews.

And by refusing to shake Klitschko’s hand which to his defence, Haye could cite that the Ukrainian is trying to lure him into a psychological mind game, it would be better for Haye to play up to his opponent’s humour rather than reject it.

Haye’s personality is such that he can differentiate between the friendly banter with his opponent whilst at the same time keep the undercurrent of motivation going.

Whoever is seen as the winner of the media battles will have no bearing on both competitors, all they know is that the real hard work of training begins, to see who will unify the titles on July 2^nd.

Khan’s work under Roach is justified in Las Vegas

Khan lands a clean shot on the feared Maidana

It was the biggest setback in his professional career after being defeated in only 54 seconds by Breidis Prescott but on Saturday night, Amir Khan eradicated memories of that loss with an absorbing and brutal victory over big hitting Marcos Maidana in Las Vegas.

The doubters had still yet to be convinced of the Bolton fighter’s heart and punch resistance despite winning every bout under the tutelage of trainer Freddie Roach. Khan’s capturing of the WBA light-welterweight title from Andreas Kotelnik in 2009 and subsequent victories over Dmitry Salita and Paulie Malignaggi had shown the development under Roach but not truly tested him where all of his boxing and psychological abilities could be put to the test.

But there is an underlying reason why Khan was able to absorb so much punishment and not be defeated. When moving to Roach, the first thing the renowned American trainer did was to move the 24-year-old Khan up to light welterweight and it was a decision which has reaped dividends. Also, the addition of Alex Ariza as a strength and conditioner coach allowed Khan to focus on the physical aspect and put more weight on those legs of his.

On Saturday’s show, there’s no doubt had Khan been boxing in the lightweight divison, he would have been prone to going down alot more quicker than the one who bravely stood toe to toe with the biggest puncher in the light welterweight division. In the early days of his career, Khan was beating his opponents with ease due to the power accumulated in his upper body but to the detriment of his lower body which was not having the same attention as the upper. Hence, at times early on his professional career, he went down too easily after being caught with not so destructive shots. Coming face to face with a fighter he was apparently ducking, Khan showed why the work at the Wildcard gym was not going to waste.

The decision to move to LA has allowed Khan to implement Ariza’s punishing schedule of training and allowed him to keep focused amid the distractions from outside of the ring.

Khan’s day in the lead up to fights begins at 5am and it’s non stop with a training schedule designed to get him in the best shape possible and to sustain 12 rounds of boxing.

On a glitzy night in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay, Khan put on a show to emphatically prove all the critics wrong. It is a Fight Of The Year candidate and encapsulated what 12 rounds of boxing is truly about.

The fight showed the topsy turvy nature of boxing and how momentum can so easily shift from one fighter to the other. Khan was comfortable and sticking to the game plan from rounds 1 to 5 despite on the receiving end of some hard hits by Maidana. Round six saw the Argentinian boxer come back to land clean on Khan, who didn’t go down. The next few rounds saw both fighters gain advantage before Maidana cranked up the pressure in the 10^th. After catching Khan with a clean right hand, Maidana sensed a knock out was due. Khan stayed resilient and employed old school boxing tactics by holding, and using his legwork to stay alive until the bell rang. After coming out from the start with pace and energy, Khan had accumulated enough points on the scoreboard to take it easy in the last couple of rounds. But Maidana never relented and again succeeded in landing uppercut shots but in the last thirty seconds of the 12^th, Khan fought back to finish on a high and retain his WBA light welterweight title.

Khan was able to quieten a lot of the critics who surfaced after his loss to Prescott and prove he could get his hands dirty by going through a real boxing war. After a successful 2010, the next year rolls near with new opportunities and a chance to unify the light-welterweight division.

And who knows, this time next year, Khan could be in the ring with a pound for pound king, it remains to be seen whether it will be Floyd Mayweather Jnr or the Bolton boxer’s stablemate Manny Pacquiao. A far cry from that devastating night at the MEN in Manchester after losing to Prescott, when it seemed his career would never recover.

Why a battle for boxing’s pound for pound supremacy has to happen

Pacquiao has risen from the fly-weight division to welterweight and is a five-time world champion

It’s off. Boxing fans have been left disappointed by the cancellation of the biggest fight in years between the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet. But hopefully sometime this year, boxing will churn out the super  fight between Floyd Mayweather Junior and Manny Pacquiao.

Fight’s turn ugly in the ring, not outside it but that is what has happened in the negotiations for the battle to happen. Mayweather has questioned Pacquaio’s rise through the boxing weights and it is something which has angered the affable, quietly spoken Filipino. So much so that he has issued legal proceedings against “Money” Mayweather, Golden Boy Promotions (who actually have a stake in Pacquaio’s earnings) and the head supremo of Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya. Whether this is another drama being played out to add more needle into the final showdown between the two fighter that will eventually take place, remains to be seen.

Pacquiao has already agreed to fight Ghanian Joshua Clottey on March 13th whilst Golden Boy have said Mayweather is also likely to fight on the same date, with an unnamed opponent. Whether the fight delay is just another way to wet the appettite is becoming a clearer reality, as both boxers will look to prove on March 13th that they are the biggest pay-per-view draw in the boxing world.

It’s only been in recent years that the pound for pound title has been branded around in boxing circles and is generally given to that boxer who has been consistent, excellent and flown through weight divisions. The recognition of being seen as pound-for-pound the best fighter on the planet isn’t a official World Title, or won’t even earn the boxer extra pocket money, but it is the ultimate honour to be known as the best in the world.

Currently, American Floyd Mayweather Jnr, 32-years-old and a World champion at five weights, returned from a short spell in retirement to beat Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez in a unanimous points victory in September. Whilst Mayweather relaxed in retirement for 18 months, Filipino boxer Manny Pacquaio cemented his place as one of boxing’s best fighters. This recently culminated in Pacquiao beating Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas to win the WBA welter-weight championship and become a five time world champion. Another record the 32 year-old Pacquiao broke was becoming a world champion for the seventh time, having twice won world title’s via Ring Magazine but those aren’t officially recognised.

Don’t be too dispirited that the fight is currently off, it’s the only logical fight that can happen. Mayweather brushed off any concerns of ring rust by beating Marquez whilst Pacquiao convincingly overcame Cotto and there are no other challengers for the pound for pound tag.

The fight splits many boxing pundits, Pacquaio’s recent emergence as a quick punching, speedy and nifty boxer are some of the qualities, many feel will see Mayweather’s undefeated record end.

Everyone seemed shocked and surprised regarding the Mayweather/Pacquiao negotiations, that they were running too smoothly. They came to a sharp and grinding halt over drugs testing but rest assured, a fight of this magnitude is too big for it not too happen.

Khan seals his place as The King after winning the WBA World light-welterweight crown

Khan puts in his best performance to date to win his first World title

It was dubbed “The Man Who Would Be King” and Amir Khan showed why he deserved that title after putting in his finest performance to date to beat Ukraining Andreas Kotelnik and grab the WBA World light-weltweight crown in the MEN Arena in Manchester.

His rehabilitation under renowned American trainer Freddie Roach came full circle as he produced a dominant display against Kotelnik and brush any memories of his devastating 52 second knockout by Breidis Prescott last September, well and truly under the carpet.

At the start of his professional career, Khan became known for knocking out his mediocre opponents quickly and thus every fight brought the question, which round will he knock him out? It was the same question that shadowed his loss to Prescott and his urgency to send him sprawling to the canvas backfired badly.

This time, Khan put in a performance of maturity, composure and concentration and will have silenced some his critics, myself included. Despite beating former world champion Marco Antonio Barrera due to a nasty the cut Mexican got, I was still unsure whether Khan had really improved, although the signs were there. Tonight, he went through only his second twelve round battle and came through with flying colours and the world title he so badly wanted.

Roach, who’s masterminded the fortunes of the pound for pound king Manny Pacquaio, has only accelerated his reputation as the finest boxing trainer on the planet at the moment. Khan’s improvement in his footwork, more thought out combinations in his punching and refusing to go down, is all down to Roach’s wizardary as a trainer.

For Khan, only good thing await the Olympic silver medalist. I for one, hope he will resist the lure of fighting good mate Ricky Hatton and go on to a huge fight in the States. The man from Bolton, is now well and truly, The King.