Here's why this fight matters:
- David Haye is the brightest and best hope to take the lineal titles away from the Klitschko brothers in years.
- The WBA, WBO, IBF, IBO and The Ring Heavyweight titles are on the line.
- Haye is a charismatic English speaker who could potentially help carry heavyweight boxing back into relevance in the U.S.
- Klitschko and his older brother (and WBC champ) Vitali are the most dominant heavyweight boxers of the decade, no question.
Here's what Scott Christ at BLH has to say about the fight:
Today at 4:45 pm EDT on HBO, Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye end three years of trash talk and grandstanding when they take to a soggy ring in Hamburg, Germany, to contest the world heavyweight championship.
Klitschko (55-3, 49 KO) is going for the 50th knockout win of his career as he defends the championship against an opponent that has gotten under his skin like none before ever have, and the first in years that many feel is a legitimate threat to his crown. Haye (25-1, 23 KO) may in many ways be the rest of the world's last chance at beating Wladimir Klitschko, at least before Wladimir gets old.
The Sky Box Office broadcast starts at 3 pm EDT, and since I know many of our UK readers will be watching that way, the thread is up in time for you guys to get us started, and for your discussion pleasure.
There isn't a whole lot more to say about this one. It's been three years in the making and we're finally here. Klitschko and Haye head-to-head today in one of the biggest fights of 2011, and the most significant heavyweight battle in almost a decade.
Like it or not, the Klitchkos are the heirs to the legacy of Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, Jack Dempsey and Jack Johnson -- the boxing heavyweight champion as the baddest man in the world. MMA may have put a major dent in that reputation, but there's no doubt that boxing is still relevant and the heavyweight king is one of the world's most important martial artists. Klitschko (55-3, 49 KO) is going for the 50th knockout win of his career as he defends the championship against an opponent that has gotten under his skin like none before ever have, and the first in years that many feel is a legitimate threat to his crown. Haye (25-1, 23 KO) may in many ways be the rest of the world's last chance at beating Wladimir Klitschko, at least before Wladimir gets old.
The Sky Box Office broadcast starts at 3 pm EDT, and since I know many of our UK readers will be watching that way, the thread is up in time for you guys to get us started, and for your discussion pleasure.
There isn't a whole lot more to say about this one. It's been three years in the making and we're finally here. Klitschko and Haye head-to-head today in one of the biggest fights of 2011, and the most significant heavyweight battle in almost a decade.
If you're wondering who to root for, David Haye is a big MMA fan and a sometime training partner of Michael Bisping.