Current WBO/IBF/IBO heavyweight champion Wladimir "Steelhammer" Klitschko was recently quoted on his opinion of David "Hayemaker" Haye's new splash in the heavyweight ranks and the heavyweight division itself. He's looking forward to 2009 and has a title fight this Saturday December 13th with 2 time former heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman.
Wladimir Klitschko On Haye
"David Haye decided to make himself famous by promoting himself. He's loud but only actions in the ring can show whether it's empty words. David Haye is much shorter so he needs to talk a lot to get attention. He makes a lot of noise. It's too early to judge how he will do as a heavyweight but if he continues to behave like that I will probably consider meeting him in the ring to stop it.
There is nothing wrong with him stepping into the heavyweight division, he is welcome. I told him to get in line. Now he's had his first fight he's stepped closer to me. I consider Haye to be like Herbie Hide. They both try to end fights with one punch. They are comparable. David's fast and so is Herbie. But there aren't many examples of fighters moving up to heavyweight and doing well - Evander Holyfield is an amazing exception."
Wladimir Klitschko On The Heavyweight Division
"Next year is going to be a very exciting time for the heavyweight division because suddenly there are names. We have to make the crossover and you do that by getting more fighters with names involved. More people will pay attention to the division if we have more recognisable faces.
"Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson made the crossover - it was not just boxing fans who knew their names, everyone did. Evander Holyfield and George Foreman are other examples. Names allow us to crossover from the boxing community into the majority. We need characters in the heavyweights and now we have some. With Chris Arreola from the States, Haye from Britain and Nikolay Valuev from Russia we have some interest in the division once more."
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