BY ERIC KING
David Haye is looking dangerous after his quick fight with Mark de Mori at the 02 on Saturday after just over 2 minutes of the first round.
Although the Aussie had only lost once before last weekend, Haye outclassed his bigger rival so convincingly that the fight looked a mismatch. After the fight , Haye made clear his interest in fighting new British and Common Wealth champion, Anthony Joshua before the end of this year.
The former WBA champion came in at his heaviest weight of 16 stone 3 inches and had lost none of his sharpness and power in his time out. A fight against Joshua would certainly be a huge sell out, but the problem is that Joshua’s team are not ready to take that risk yet. Joshua’s promoter, Ediie Hearn, told reporters that Haye and Joshua’s path will probably cross at some point if they both continue winning, but that his ambitions for Joshua is for a world title at the end of this year, not a fight with David Haye first.
Joshua has won all 15 of his fights by knockout, but is yet to fight at European level, let alone world class level. However, there are many who feel Joshua would beat Haye now if the pair met. There is no certainty on the outcome of a clash between the two explosive fighters, though Haye is extremely experienced and powerful. There is every good chance he would put Joshua on his ass now, but the reverse also holds true if Joshua catches him well. It is a risk Joshua’s team want to avoid, and for good reason. We would all rush to see it if it were scheduled for next week because both men have a reputation for putting their opponents to bed. It will be a good match whenever it is made. Haye wants to recapture the world title he lost to Wladimir Klitschko in 2009, and is currently trying to fast track his journey there.
A fight with Tyson Fury, whom he pulled out against twice due to a shoulder injury, would be very interesting. Fury has ruled out any chance of meeting Haye, but if Haye were to fight his way into a mandatory top spot, Fury will have no choice if he is still world champion then. Having beaten the long reigning Wladimir Klitschko, Fury cannot be underestimated against anybody. However, Haye looked dangerous enough to cause havoc in this wide open division. It will be interesting to see how he develops from here.
