Boxing Betting / Alex Steedman / 29 March 2010 /

The spotlight falls on David Haye this weekend for the first time since his defeat of Nikolay Valuev - will he shine again?

They say winning a world title is hard but that defending it is even harder. But for David Haye, a man who prides himself as entertainer on top of winner, his job this weekend is not just to defend his WBA title against John Ruiz but to look good doing it.

The truth of it is that while Haye's momentous Heavyweight Championship win over the gargantuan Nikolay Valuev was a great feat of skill, concentration and tactics, it was one of the most boring fights ever seen. It was a performance that may have titillated Vladimir Klitschko but it was also one which had it been any other fighter, Haye would have been disdainful of. It was however, a case of the means justifying the end and the Hayemaker will be looking for his normal, destructive service to resume in Manchester.

This fight will certainly provide something of a litmus test for Haye's punching power against the big men for Ruiz is a credible challenger as well as being something of a barometer for the division. More importantly, he's only been stopped once in a 54 fight career and that was 14 years ago. 'The Quiet Man' is not easily shifted. Evander Holyfield tried three times, Nikolay Valuev twice, James Toney, Hasim Rahman and Andrew Galota all had a pop but couldn't stop Ruiz. Even Roy Jones Jr who, like Haye, moved up in weight to win the Heavyweight title, had to be content with a decision win over Ruiz.

Contrast all of that with Haye's blitzkrieg record of 21 knockouts in 23 wins. He's gone the distance twice only; once in 2006 when he patently looked to do the rounds against a negative opponent and recently when tactics demanded it against Valuev. But can he spark opponents at heavyweight? I think so but we just don't know...yet. This fight will go a long way to answering that question.

Certainly Ruiz is not going to start dancing rings around Haye anytime soon, though it is worth mentioning that he looked relatively sprightly and fresh when boxing and winning for the first time under new trainer Miguel Diaz in November. And Ruiz did actually box which was as much a surprise as it was a revelation, even if it was against D-level opposition. It raises the question as to which John Ruiz will turn up at the MEN arena, the new boxer or the usual, effective spoiler? It's a significant point, for surely the tried and trusted mauler fares a better chance of success than the boxer offering Haye distance to tee up his big shots. I can only imagine Ruiz will conform to type.

The American is durable, seasoned and wily with it - he's almost a genius at making opponents look bad. It's a 'skill' that informs upon Bernard Hopkins' reputation and yet Ruiz is publically ridiculed for it. Haye has gone on record as saying Ruiz is a sometimes punching cure for insomnia but it is possible that he has enough in the toolbox to at least give Haye some difficult moments if not necessarily sleepless nights.

I suspect Ruiz will attempt to ruffle Haye's feathers, the sort of come forward tactics employed by Jean Marc Mormeck when Haye relieved the Frenchman of his two Cruiserweight World Titles three years ago. The south Londoner was cool under fire that night, confident enough to allow Mormeck into punching range while riding the storm. And I'm sure there will be similar moments in this fight, perhaps without the same threat. It is worth noting that Ruiz's last genuine stoppage against decent opposition was a late KO of Fres Oquendo and that was nearly six years ago. Haye can't take liberties here but he can afford a little adventure.

All of which gets us to the rub. Can Haye become just the second man since David Tua to get to Ruiz? I'm certain he'll have opportunities to unload the heavy artillery though I suspect it won't be as cavalier an approach as in the Monte Barrett fight. I think Haye will be patient like he was against Valuev only with calculated aggression on demand. And the division demands. Boxing has been yearning for a swashbuckler among the big men; a David among the Goliaths. We might just be in for something spectacular.

Verdict: Haye to win
Recommended Bet: Haye to win by KO @ [1.8], 3PTS (0-10 STAKE)

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