David Haye 'will flatten' Nikolai Valuev, says Freddie Roach
David Haye "will flatten Nikolai Valuev" and is the ideal man to reignite the world heavyweight division, according to trainer Freddie Roach.


By Gareth A Davies
Published: 7:30AM GMT 03 Nov 2009

Haye, the former three-belt world cruiserweight champion, meets the 7ft Russian in Nuremberg on Saturday, with the prize the World Boxing Association heavyweight title at stake.

Roach, who spoke exclusively to Telegraph Sport at the Wild Card Gym, Hollywood, where he is training both Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan ahead of their respective world title fights, said: "Haye will flatten Valuev, he'll crush him.

"He's too fast, too strong, too aggressive.

"Haye will become the first man to knock Valuev out. Sure, the big guy has shown he is resilient, and I'm surprised he can go 12 rounds without getting tired because he is so heavy [at 23 stone], but with Haye's power and speed he's going to get KO'd."

Roach, credited with developing Pacquiao into the world's No 1 pound-for-pound boxer, believes Haye's style and demeanour is compelling, and exactly what the world's heavyweight division needs.

"I like guys who like to fight," Roach said. "Haye believes in himself, he talks a bit of bull, but he's just trying to ignite interest in the fight. He's young, exciting, and charismatic.

"Haye's the best thing for the heavyweight division right now, because he comes to fight, he comes to win, and he's a puncher.

"That's what heavyweight boxing should be all about. The Klitschko brothers are great boxers but they are boring. They don't take risks. You've got to go for it in this sport, and give 100 per cent.

"Manny Pacquiao is popular because he comes to exchange with you, he wants to fight. Once in a while he gets hit, but that is part of the game. Haye is the spark the heavyweight division needs right now.

"I'm sure Haye is going to win this fight. [Evander] Holyfield got a bad decision last year against Valuev, but Holyfield won that fight.

"If a shot 46-year-old Holyfield can beat Valuev, a young David Haye with speed and power mean he will be the first guy to KO Valuev."

Good unbiased analysis.

i respect freedie but i cant really take him seriously not after pac will ko cotto

I've given up betting against Freddie in the same way I've given up betting against Haye. Both make outlandish suggestions about what their going to do to their respective opposition and then they both end up bloody doing it. I thought Freddie was becoming slightly senile when he made the fight with ODLH and then when he predicted a stoppage I thought 'fuk this guy has full blown dementia' He then predicted a very early Hatton destruction and once again was bang on. So if Mr Roach says Pac will KO Cotto, even although every brain cell is telling me otherwise I am going to learn from my mistakes and predict that Pac will KO Cotto.

Freddie for all his faults can read boxers and then accurately play out in his mind how the fight will go down, almost to the letter. I think Booth has the boxing 'Shinning' too.

i though pac would beat ODH, i didnt think so convincingly and thought it was more likely to go to points but i knew ODH had seen better days

i knew hatton was a ko waiting to happen he wasnt the same fighter after mayweather, lazcano rocked him and though he lost decisively in a result im still surprised about i thought malignaggi might beat hatton even ko him. as soon as the pac fight was signed i knew he was gettin ko'd

i just cant see the much smaller manny beating the live in my mind #1 welter. especially considering pacs chin hasnt been tested above 130 and cotto has been in with bigger punches than pac

Normally I would agree that Pac would or should struggle with the leading welter but the fact is that Cotto has shown too many vulnerabilities for me to accept that the upset is out of the question. He was continually wobbled at 140 and everyone reckoned it was because he struggled to make the weight. Then Judah rocked him to his socks at 147 but was unable to finish him off and now Pac is fighting him at 145, back down towards where his chin is dodgy. Marg, cheating or not destroyed him and Clottey was in many peoples eyes very unlucky to lose. Cotto is not the indestructible quality force he once was. He is relatively slow, likes little rests during the latter rounds and he has a chin that will eventually let him down.

Pac on the other hand just seams to get stronger and faster as he glides up through the divisions. He has mixed it with imo the best fighter twice (JMM) and destroyed everyone else effortlessly. However, stopping a shot Oscar and flattening a well past his prime Hatton does not qualify you as being anywhere near the top of the tree and IMO is creating a few false positives. This is why in reality I can't decide who will win and for the first time that since Lewis/Bruno I don't care. I am going to thoroughly enjoy this fight from a totally impartial point of view. I can't fuking wait.

the thing is haye does have speed and power, but will he have that speed and power in the second half of the fight if valuev is allowed to lean and clinch onto him? it could be too much of a tiring fight for haye. haye will have to box like evander did, and i haven't seen him do that yet. it's going to be interesting. the media have really took to this fight.

Remember when Haye fought JMM he actually got stronger and faster as the fight went on. I did not detect any stamina issues then or in any other fight since. I think that he has made it his personal goal never to be in the same situation he found himself in against Thompson. Much like Pac has made it his goal never to be put over by another KO body shot and has subsequently made necessary alterations to his training.

yeah, but not being funny, but it's different fighting someone like mormeck who haye was actually bigger than, than fighting someone like valuev who will outweigh haye by over 100lbs.

haye has the ability, if he can keep on moving, then he should be able to outbox valuev, if he fights closer at range where valuev can lean on haye everytime haye throws a punch, then that will surely drain haye.

I agree completely but I just don't think the stamina issues are going to be any more serious that they were for any other HW fighting Valuev.

You aren't joking there. Every time I open the paper, there is an article about it. It's like the papers have just realised boxing exists. Still can't be bad.

There isn't going to be a second half to this fight----Haye will stop Valuev early---Valuev is going to get a hellacious beating--im convinced of it .

I wouldn't be surprised if Haye uses him like a big slow swinging punchbag, teeing off on him all night. I reckon the giants size enables him to stay upright until sometime after the 9th then he either falls over or his corner pull him.