The endless talking - mainly on the part of David Haye - is over. It's been years in the making, but tonight the differences of David Haye and Wladimir Klitschko, as well as the ownership of 4 of the World Heavyweight Boxing belts, will be decided in the ring in Hamburg, before a rapt crowd of more than 45,000 and many millions viewing proceedings on television.
It's been a busy week in Hamburg with the final pre-fight press conference unusually early on Monday, leaving David Haye, by his own assessment, kicking his heels somewhat for the rest of the week (although it's a mark of the relaxed nature of the man that even on the day of the fight he has the wherewithal to joke on twitter). A public training session followed in midweek with the unusual sight of Wladimir Klitschko in the front row watching David Haye sparring in a southpaw stance (more mind games from the orthodox Haye) as well as the sight of Haye's trainer, Adam Booth, bringing out the "glove on a stick" which was used both in the run in to this fight and Haye's earlier fight with Nikolai Valuev to mimic the great reach and height of both men with the jab.
Yesterday was the occasion of that great pre fight event, the weigh in, which has proved many exciting moments before so many great fights of yester year. It was a fairly calm, straightforward event on this occasion, though unsurprisingly David Haye claimed that he had again seen the fruits of his continuous trash talking in the demeanour of Klitschko. Haye's trash talking, having been pivotal in the procurement of the fight in the first instance, has been deployed in order to influence Klitschko's tactics on fight night. Haye's best chance of victory will come if he can encourage Klitschko to attack and he believes that an enraged Klitschko is more likely to do this. If Klitschko employs his usual, cagey tactics, behind his ramrod, debilitating jab then he will surely win on points or via a late stoppage. The fight simply cannot go to the judges cards from Haye's point of view and if there was any chance that Haye needed a reminder of this, it arrived in the shape of widely condemned split decision in favour of German Felix Sturm last weekend, fighting at home. Many respected observers had Matthew Macklin, the British challenger, winning by 2 or 3 rounds.
Both Haye and Klitschko looked in magnificent shape at the weigh in, which is totally in keeping with their reputations as well conditioned boxers and at odds with the heavyweight division as it is today. Klitschko weighed in at 243lbs and Haye, 30lbs lighter.
Many British boxing pundits, from the thoughtful and analytical Barry McGuigan, to the rabble rousing, jingoistic Ricky Hatton and Glenn McCrory, have called the fight as a David Haye win via knockout. Tellingly, however, many of the bookmakers have remained static in terms of the odds being offered for the fight and the assessments of British pundits and Haye's fellow British boxers should be taken with a liberal pinch of salt. Nevertheless the fight has the potential to be the most exciting in the division for 8 long years, since Lennox Lewis and Wladimir's brother, Vitali, went toe to toe in Los Angeles.
I call this fight in favour of Wladimir Klitschko, via stoppage at some point between rounds five and seven, as I expect him to resist Haye's attempts to influence his tactics and retain his usual cagey, stance behind his jab, forcing Haye to make the running and leaving himself exposed in the middle rounds to Klitschko's more offensive weapons.
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