Is Haye Scared?

My thoughts based from watching ringside. He was unusually quit, looked anxious. I think the task of facing Wlad is daunting to Haye and he knows it. Or maybe he is really just concentrating so much on the fight now that he is not bothering about promoting the fight as much now (apart from press conferences).

I think he is really anxious about the fight. But feels he has to go through with it.

Your thoughts?

PS this is worrying as I want Haye to win.

Maybe.

If a big giant man wanted to beat me up, I'd be real scared

D4thincarnation wrote:Maybe.

If a big giant man wanted to beat me up, I'd be real scared

Especially if, according to windy, Wlad bats for the opposition.

Raymond wrote:Your thoughts?

He's signed the contract.

He did so much talking he had to sign the contract, and as I said it is starting to daunt on him now.

He probably does get a little scared.
When he is in that ring really getting hit...
and his arms hurt so much he can't lift them.
And he is thinking, "God, I wish this guy would hit me on the chin...
so he doesn't feel nothing anymore."
Then there's another side of him that comes out that isn't so scared.
It's another side that wants to take more...
that wants to go that one more round...
because by going that one more round...
when you don't think you can--
That's what makes all the difference in your life.
You know what I mean?

Raymond wrote:He did so much talking he had to sign the contract, and as I said it is starting to daunt on him now.

He did enough talking to get himself multimillion pay days against mediocre opposition. He didn't have to do anything.

Scottrf wrote:

Raymond wrote:He did so much talking he had to sign the contract, and as I said it is starting to daunt on him now.

He did enough talking to get himself multimillion pay days against mediocre opposition. He didn't have to do anything.

But Wlad isn't mediocre opposition and Haye knows this, and he only got the fight by talking but he is much quieter now than before.

I think the opposite. I think haye means serious, serious business. No soundbites, no clowning, just 100% focused on the job at hand. He has a cold determination about him that I've never seen before. He's a clever guy who is hell bent on winning this fight. I'm starting to edge toward a haye tko victory.

Ofcourse he is a little bit scared, but he will not let that fear comsume him on fight night.

Wlad has admited he is scared, but that what keeps him sharp.

there is a difference between scared and nervous they are differing mind sets, you can still be nervous but confident but you can't be scared and confident. I think Haye is scared of Wlad, I have never thought Haye would win the fight (Unless he gets a lucky few shots off) but I am even less sure he will win now.

Raymond wrote:

Scottrf wrote:

Raymond wrote:He did so much talking he had to sign the contract, and as I said it is starting to daunt on him now.

He did enough talking to get himself multimillion pay days against mediocre opposition. He didn't have to do anything.

But Wlad isn't mediocre opposition and Haye knows this, and he only got the fight by talking but he is much quieter now than before.

I think he's nervous, for sure. But scared? Not so sure, will judge by what happens fight night. Not something I'd level at him so far after facing Thompson after 10 fights, Mormeck away from home etc.

Haye isn't getting into Wladamirs head like he wants too.Wladamir's just taking is as a big joke with the hand stuff he isn't going to let Haye affect him.I think this is making anxious and annoyed I think he wouldn't go in the same room as Wladamir as he would of ended up smacking him one.I wouldn't say Haye is scared just slowly starting to boil with anger.

He should be nervous if he's not he might slack off in training. Nerves will serve him well. I didn't think he looked scared at the promotion stuff just a bit of a tool at times.

D4thincarnation wrote:Maybe.

If a big giant man wanted to beat me up, I'd be real scared

If only you spent some time in the real world, you'd live every last second in abject fear.

Could Haye be pulling a double bluff and making Wlad think he's scared or....could it just be that people have too much time on their hands and are looking for things that aren't there?

DAVE667 wrote:Could Haye be pulling a double bluff and making Wlad think he's scared or....could it just be that people have too much time on their hands and are looking for things that aren't there?

I think we have a winner.

BALTIMORA wrote:

DAVE667 wrote:Could Haye be pulling a double bluff and making Wlad think he's scared or....could it just be that people have too much time on their hands and are looking for things that aren't there?

I think we have a winner.

This could be me I have just finished my second year at uni and have nothing to do now for a few months

Raymond wrote:

BALTIMORA wrote:

DAVE667 wrote:Could Haye be pulling a double bluff and making Wlad think he's scared or....could it just be that people have too much time on their hands and are looking for things that aren't there?

I think we have a winner.

This could be me I have just finished my second year at uni and have nothing to do now for a few months

Lucky man I've got 4 weeks of college left then I'm finished for nearly 3 months.

One thing that people consistently get wrong about David Haye is his motivation to prove himself.He's being a nasty SOB at the moment.He doesn't care what people think of him.He's more focused now than he's ever been. He's not the bottling sort, plain and simple,David Haye fully expects to do a number on Wladimir and refuses to contemplate defeat.
Here is a guy who served us a 5hit sandwich or two in recent times, but if you think he's turning up for the payday, or is scared,or doubts himself, I'm afraid you're just wrong.No-one comes close to Haye when it comes to self-belief.His behaviour so far suggests to me that he knows it's a big ask, but is going to go to the well if need be.Perfectly realistic and I'd be worried if he was still mouthing off ,which would seem more like whistling in the dark.
I think he's ready to fight Wlad now, is certainly expriencing apprehension on a level not experienced before, but for definite, that guy feels he can win and 100% expects to.He's a very intelligent guy,(probably onto NLP and all that psychological stuff) with a massive ego, massive ambition to boot. I think we're lucky to have such an athlete come along at this time.

I would be more concerned if Haye wasnt nervous. This is the biggest fight in his life by a mile against by far the most formidable opponent he has ever faced. It would be unnatural not to be nervous.

The thing about this fight is that probably for the first time, Haye doesnt need to try hard to sell the fight. It sells itself and is generating headlines without the need for Haye to do any pr stunts. With his previous opponents Haye needed to hype them up in order to sell them and drum up interest. Not the case this time and in any event his past antics which he engaged in to ty and promote interest in him such as the t shirt stunt are still remembered.

David Haye will do whats best with David Haye. I honestly dont think he cares at all about fans, their opinions, saving boxing, being explosive and entertaining etc. He is his own man and I think hes focused on winning and getting as much as possible out of the sport for as little risk as possible. The Harrison and Valuev fights show hes not really concerned about what fans think or want and that hes happy to win ugly and in boring fashion when the situation calls for it. The stuff about saving the heavyweight division is just pr as he intends on retiring shortly. All of this kind of stuff indicate to me Haye is a man with a careful strategy and will be focused on the job at hand. What he says and what he does are different things designed to serve his own purpose.

I don't think anyone with half a brain thought he was EVER going to stand and trade with Valuev but which armchair fan is going to shell out money for a PPV when one of the fighters openly states, "My tactics will be to keep this at a very safe distance, dart in and out and try to nick rounds by being busier and avoiding getting hit as I'm likely to lose widely on the scorecards"

He HAD to say he was looking to chop down the giant even though NO-ONE had ever done or even tried it before. Breaking his hand clearly didn't help matters but, he fought a smart, if somewhat cagey, fight and got the win.

Against Harrison, he said for the outset it was going to be a massacre and he didn't lie. He literally punched the snot out of Audley and did it exactly how he wanted to do it from the first bell.

My belief is that the only reason he signed for the Audley fight was to prove to Wlad that he could generate money whoever he fought. I think he essentially said to the K Bros, "Here's a guy who is roundly ridiculed by the media and public at large and yet I can STILL make several million quid out of it. Just think how much money it will generate if I have a real fight!!!!"

I believe the K's realised Haye was a guy who put bums on seats and cash in the bank and then signed for the Chisora fight with a view to showcasing themselves to a wider British audience. Chisora was always meant to be the fall guy and Wlad's injury was as bogus as Haye's when Setanta collapsed.

As many have stated, pretty much all will be forgiven if the fight goes ahead and Haye gets the win.

Is Haye scared? Probably not. Is he slightly nervous? Probably. Is he confident? Definitely

manos de piedra wrote:I would be more concerned if Haye wasnt nervous. This is the biggest fight in his life by a mile against by far the most formidable opponent he has ever faced. It would be unnatural not to be nervous.

The thing about this fight is that probably for the first time, Haye doesnt need to try hard to sell the fight. It sells itself and is generating headlines without the need for Haye to do any pr stunts. With his previous opponents Haye needed to hype them up in order to sell them and drum up interest. Not the case this time and in any event his past antics which he engaged in to ty and promote interest in him such as the t shirt stunt are still remembered.

David Haye will do whats best with David Haye. I honestly dont think he cares at all about fans, their opinions, saving boxing, being explosive and entertaining etc. He is his own man and I think hes focused on winning and getting as much as possible out of the sport for as little risk as possible. The Harrison and Valuev fights show hes not really concerned about what fans think or want and that hes happy to win ugly and in boring fashion when the situation calls for it. The stuff about saving the heavyweight division is just pr as he intends on retiring shortly. All of this kind of stuff indicate to me Haye is a man with a careful strategy and will be focused on the job at hand. What he says and what he does are different things designed to serve his own purpose.

Agreed. David Haye is a clever man with a sharp mind. He will fight in the way he thinks will give him the best chance of victory, whether or not that means entertaining the fans or serving up another Valuev type show. I guess a Valuev performance is not going to get him the win but he will surely know this as well as anyone.

I would think that both Haye and Wlad are apprehensive and nervous in equal measures. It is a massive fight and whatever you think of the current heavyweight division, a win for either man will do more for their legacy than anything that has gone previously. They both know this and the tension will only get worse as the fight gets closer.

The old adage of the loudest man in the room being the weakest could well be applied here and I, for one, am glad Haye is not in "Harrison" mode and hope he is fully focused on what will be an extremely difficult assignment.

I think the reason he fought Harrison was just for the easy money. There was no other benefit. His credibility suffered, his status with Sky suffered and I dont think it did anything to strengthen his claim in the division. Just because he predicted it was would be one sided doesnt really make it a legitimate fight selection.

I think Hayes approach has been very calculated. I dont think its a coincidence hes waited until now to make the fight happen. Hes generally been concerned with securing his finances.

I think hes had a plan from the start which was basically to make as much money as possible and retire at 31. Im not convinced if he managed to beat both Klitschkos the temptation to stay on wouldnt prove too great but I think originally he intended on retiring by 31.

Up until this point he has had a strategic campaign against the Klitschkos to try and boost his own reputation and profile and discredit the two Klitschkos in order to deflect attention away from himself while he puts money in the bank and tries to establish a reputation.

Now is basically the moment of truth so I dont think Haye feels the need to do anything other than to try and focus on the fight. It doesnt look to me like either fighter is intimadated by the other. Wlad seems relaxed, Haye seems focused. Wlad has been doing more in the pr stakes because he doesnt have as big a profile in the UK as he might and I think he has done a pretty good job at gaining some fans over here. Haye has already established his reputation here and knows he has no chance of getting support from mainland Europe so I think hes content to just get through the media stuff and knuckle down to the training.

He's nervous, maybe a bit scared. I don't think it matters really. He'll need to "fight scared" in this fight. Worse thing he can do is relax, bide his time and get jabenated.

As an aside, I watched the Wlad and Haye interviews on BBC site last night for the first time and I thought they both came across really well.

Wlad is very sneaky with trying to get Haye 'on side' and friendly, because he knows if this fight becomes a sparring session Haye has zero chance of winning. Haye needs to be vicious and focussed on destroying Wlad, because if he gets a chance (which I don't think he will) to put him away he must grab it with both hands.

Also interested to hear Haye say he doesn't get the feeling Wlad is threatened by him at all when he looks into his eyes, whereas he knew Audley was terrified (I think my 2 year old knew that though).

I'm actually warming to Haye in the build up to this fight. He seems more real. He's the underdog - in my opinion a 10-1 underdog. Wlad is smart and manipulating. I don't like the game he is playing with our media and all that telling tales business about the T-shirts.

Who knows, I might be able to support Haye again for the first time since he blew away Maccarinelli.

i think this is probably stage 2 of his plan, stage 1 antagonise wlad and get him worked up. stage 2 focus on the fight and hope wlad doesn't.

not sure that it will work but have to say wlad seems a lot more ingaged in this fight than any other ive seem.

also of course haye is scared, as is wlad, as is every other fighter who steps through the ropes. but how they cope is the difference and i think both men will be there on fight night

you can say that again eddy

Yes Haye is a manupulative guy, and fight fans (me definitely included, I was at the MEN for the Audley fiasco I am embarrassed to admit)have a right to feel short changed there.That's a hundred quid I am never going to get back-thanks,David.Seeing the money men shaking hands calmly afterwards made me apoplectic with rage.
However.Different time,different opponent, different context.He's fighting to effectively unify the titles. Manos reminds us that Haye is all about the show, is in it for the money,treats fans with contempt pretty much.I made just those points 6 months ago on 606.Let's be honet though, when the bell rings, and I've shelled out my money again(!),this time to watch it from the comfort of my armchair, ,most of us will be hoping for a British heavyweight champion of the world to be declared. I'm not embarrassed to admit that I am.
If David Haye capitulates against Wlad, and I am certain that he will be very competitive, but if he loses, THEN we can say, "ever had the feeling you've been ch£ated?".
10-1 odds of him winning-you must be having a giraffe.Let's remember that here i a guy who has to be implored, nay BEGGED by Manny Steward to use his main assets against a nobody fighter. Yes he's got a great jab, but hell, there's a precedent here guys- Bruno had a great jab,etc etc.
It's still a pick-em fight for me, but i scratch my head at the negativity directed towards Haye for this bout. And If he wins, it's a fact that this board is going to be buzzing with accolades and articles about David Haye.
(And David, if you're reading this ,you owe me a hundred quid ).

David, if you're reading this, can I have a free t-shirt?

Anyway, the only way I'll feel cheated is Haye phones it in or we get a situation like the one with Solis where a freak injury curtails the proceedings.

Personally, I can't see Haye making zero effort but I don't see him being reckless in the biggest fight of his career either. I expect something of a stalemate early doors and for it to come to life in the middle rounds as, even though I've previously said I think Haye's best chance is to get Wlad early, I'm not sure it will happen that way.

Both will be cautious early on and neither will want to get caught with a sucker punch, but I think we'll see something of a chess match before it catches fire.

By the way, if Haye wins, the board will be buzzing with "It was a fluke!" articles and "Vitali will kill him" articles.

Too many "haterz "on the board from them to consider the possibility that Haye might just be the better fighter

Both men will be nervous, but I think Haye is scared, they have similar physiological response but when you are nervous you are still able to think rationally, you can't when you are scared. This is why it is hard to tell. I think psychologically Wlad has already won this fight.

I think Haye is just quietly confident, and I think he may have changed his tact slightly as he figured he may have been offending a few people (T-Shirts andw what not) I think he may have been worried that people were starting to turn on him, I can't see him being scared scared, but there is nothing wrong with having fear, fear sometimes makes you perform better and train harder because you know you are taking on stronger opposition.