THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN
It was labelled as the Battle Of Britain, and had fans worldwide tuning in with interest to see WBC & WBA champion David Haye challenge WBO champion Enzo Maccarinelli for the crown of undisputed cruiserweight champion of the world. The o2 Arena in London was packed to bursting point, and a perfect setting for one of the biggest all-British World Title fights in recent memory. The fact that US tv giant Showtime chose to air this fight, in what was a debut on US tv for both men, indicated the magnitude of the event.
In what was a fairly drama free build-up to the fight, both fighters went through the motions with no real controversy or chaos to speak of. At all times the fighters remained quietly confident, and professional, a far cry from some of the press antics we have seen in recent months. Possibly the more intriguing grudge was the one that lay between Frank Warren and Haye. The two men have never seen eye to eye, and have made negative comments about each other in the press on a regular basis.. The two fighters however had no real grudges it seemed, and even the weigh-in before the fight was tame. The biggest surprise of the night was that Haye, 20-1-0 [19KO's], reportedly struggling to make the 200lb limit, weighed in 2lbs inside the limit at his first attempt, a pound lighter than Maccarinelli, 28-1-0 [21KO's].
It was around 2am UK time when the fighters finally entered the ring, and it was immediately clear that hometown boy Haye had the vast majority of the crowd on his side, with Maccarinelli making his way to the ring amid a chorus of boos and jeers. This was something new for both men, and it was interesting to see how they would cope. Both men had fought in front of big crowds, but never with this much pressure or focus on them before. It was as much a test of will as it was skill. Haye seemed the more fired up of the two, pacing the ring like a caged tiger, whereas Maccarinelli was his usual nonplussed self. As soon as the bell rang to begin the fight, the difference in attitude showed.
Maccarinelli's trainer Enzo Calzaghe had laid a fightplan down which involved swarming Haye early with a fast and aggressive attack, but Maccarinelli did the very opposite, and sat waiting for the opportunity to counter, apparently too cautious to do little else. It was a mistake however, as he immediately let Haye set his own pace, instead of removing him from his natural comfort zone. Both men pawed with their jab, and Maccarinelli was the more effective of the two with that particular punch, but little really landed from either man. In the middle of the round they exchanged vicious looking left hooks, both good enough to floor many a fighter, but apart from that it was a fairly quiet session. The mutual respect for each others power was almost certainly the underlying factor. Although Haye had said to the cameras before the fight that he was not in the slightest bit concerned about anything Maccarinelli could do, it was fairly obvious that both boxers were being cautious.
The second round started more briskly, and Haye in particular looked to be trying to step up a gear. Several big booming right hands bounced off Maccarinelli's jaw, and Haye's accuracy meant that nearly every shot he threw landed effectively. Maccarinelli looked stiff and tight, his hands lodged firmly to his temples, almost frightened to let them down. Haye looked much looser, letting his left hand drop, and moving more from the waist, obviously the more relaxed of the two. Maccarinelli did have some success, especially with two right hands that caught Haye flush, but contrary to popular belief, Haye was able to take them without flinching. They did fire him up it seemed, and the pace heated up considerably. Both men were by now winging bombs, apparently disregarding there tentative approach rather early on. Maccarinelli always seemed one step behind, and Haye was ducking and dodging punhces, firing back with his own impressive work. About two minutes into the round, Haye unleashed a murderous right hand that caught Maccarinelli bang on the chin that sent him reeling into the ropes, only managing to stay up by clinging on to the rope with his gloved hand. At this point the referee could maybe have called a knockdown, but instead let Haye charge after Maccarinelli. Haye was throwing punches like fury, many of which were catching Enzo clean. Another left hook rocked Maccarinelli's head back out of his crouch, and then as they came together, Haye unleashed a punch that Maccarinelli never saw coming. It dropped him heavily, and becasue of the disorientation, Maccarinelli rose far too quickly. His legs were not complying however, as they wobbled and gave way, causing Maccarinelli to thrash around the ring like a drunk man, only coming to a stop by desparately clinging to the ropes once again. The referee John Keane took a while getting Haye back to a neutral corner, and when he walked across to Maccarinelli, he took one look into Enzo's eyes and waved the fight over. It could be said that the stoppage was slightly premature, but all Keane did was give Maccarinelli the ability to leave the arena on his own two feet. If the fight had continued, they would probably have been carrying Maccarinelli out of the arena on a stretcher.
Maccarinelli can comeback however, especially given Haye's imminent departure to heavyweight. He will have to take this loss as a learning experience, and come back stronger for it. The cruiserweight division is wide open right now, and there are some appealing matches to be made. The future doesn't look so bad for Maccarinelli after all.. As for Haye, his stock has already risen, but if he stays true to his word and immediately departs for the heavyweight ranks, very big things could be in this guy's future. Already mooted Klitschko and Peter matches are being discussed, but Haye needs to ease his way into the heavyweights first, fighting a few contenders, acclimatising to the division, but when he's ready, he could add some much needed charisma, excitement and color to a pretty bleak weight division.
Written by the respected PugilistSpecial at http://fightfranchise.com/
