David Haye has admitted that Wladimir Klitschko will be the most troublesome opponent he has faced.
Despite the WBA titleholder’s apparent disrespect for the Ukrainian in their recent media campaigns, he commented that he would have to be on top form to win the heavyweight unification fight on July 2.
“I know Wladimir is better than anyone I have fought in the past,” Haye told The Mirror. “I know his attributes could be catastrophic for me, so I need to be on my game. If there are any cracks in my defence, if I bob when I should weave, the fight could be over. I am realistic about that.
“This is my defining fight. This is what I have been boxing for since I was a kid, for this one night."
While Haye acknowledges that Klitschko will be his toughest opponent, he maintains that he will represent the same challenge in return. “He has not met any fighter with my speed or condition,” he said on his website. “He is used to fighting over-rated fatties who prefer to do their workouts by eating plenty of fast food.”
The boxer last week released the David Haye Knockout app, a poster for which depicts him decapitating a figure appearing to be Klitschko. Two years ago he angered the 35-year-old by wearing a t-shirt decorated with an image of Haye holding the severed heads of him and brother Vitali Klitschko.
Dan Saney
