David Haye, the hard-hitting British boxer, has revealed Vitali Klitschko as the one heavyweight he wishes he'd faced in his career. The former two-weight world champion shared this regret during a recent chat on the 'Froch on Fighting' show.
Haye, known as 'The Hayemaker', made his mark in boxing by becoming the first British fighter to unify the cruiserweight division. He held the WBA, WBC, and WBO titles before moving up to heavyweight in 2009.
His move to the big boys' division started with a bang. Haye outpointed the giant Nikolai Valuev to grab the WBA heavyweight title in a fight that put him on the map. He went on to defend his title against John Ruiz and Audley Harrison.
But Haye's reign at the top didn't last. In 2011, he lost a 12-round decision to Wladimir Klitschko in a unification bout. This defeat seems to have left Haye wondering about a clash with Wladimir's older brother, Vitali.
On the 'Froch on Fighting' show, Haye explained why he regretted not facing Vitali:
"I really enjoyed his style. I fought Wladimir but he was very defensive, but Vitali came to fight and he would have given me the opportunities because he wanted to chin me where Wladimir wanted to beat me on points so that was the fight I always wanted."
Vitali Klitschko had an impressive career himself. He held the WBO title from 1999 to 2000 and was a two-time WBC champion between 2004 and 2012. Vitali won 15 world title fights and only lost once in a title bout - to Lennox Lewis due to bad cuts in what turned out to be Lewis's final fight.
Haye's career took a different turn after the Wladimir loss. He beat Derek Chisora in 2012 but then took a long break from the ring. He came back in 2016 but lost twice to Tony Bellew, with the first defeat blamed on an Achilles injury that affected his mobility. Haye hung up his gloves for good in 2018.
While Haye never got to test himself against Vitali, he left his mark on the sport. From his explosive power in the cruiserweight division to his heavyweight title win, 'The Hayemaker' gave fans plenty to cheer about. And now, looking back, he's given us a glimpse of the fight that got away.
