David Haye, the former cruiserweight and heavyweight champion, has weighed in on a hypothetical fight between boxing brothers Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko. Haye believes big brother Vitali would come out on top.
Haye's career spanned from 2002 to 2018, during which he made his mark in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions. He unified the cruiserweight world titles by 2008 and was ranked the best in the world in that weight class from 2005 to 2007. Haye then moved up to heavyweight, where he snagged a world title by defeating Nikolai Valuev.
The British boxer's explosive punching power helped him defend his heavyweight belt against John Ruiz and Audley Harrison. However, Haye's reign came to an end when he lost on points to Wladimir Klitschko in a 12-round bout in 2011.
In a recent interview with TNT Sports Boxing, Haye shared his thoughts on which Klitschko brother would win in a fight:
"I think Vitali, big brother gets it."
Vitali Klitschko's career boasted an impressive 41 victories from 45 fights, with only two defeats. His first shot at a world title came in 2003 against Lennox Lewis, but a cut above his eye forced the fight to be stopped. Vitali retired in 2012 after defending his WBC belt against Manuel Charr.
Wladimir, the younger Klitschko, racked up 53 wins out of 64 fights by knockout, suffering 5 losses. He called it quits in 2017 after back-to-back losses to Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Since retiring, Wladimir has hinted at a potential comeback, eyeing George Foreman's record as the oldest heavyweight world champion.
The Klitschko brothers dominated the heavyweight division for years, but they never fought each other out of respect for their mother's wishes. This meant the undisputed championship remained out of reach during their era.
Haye hung up his gloves in 2018 following consecutive defeats to Tony Bellew. Looking back, he counts Wladimir Klitschko and Nikolai Valuev among the toughest opponents he faced in the ring.
