MARK DE MORI, who will face David Haye on January 16, believes the Brit is a more marketable name than current WBC champion Deontay Wilder.
De Mori claims he was set to face Wilder in the first defence of his world title earlier this year, only for the American to opt for Eric Molina.
The Australian however is no longer fussed with that snub after being selected as Haye’s comeback opponent.
“This is everything for me. David Haye is a bigger name than Wilder anyway,” he told Boxing News.
“He’s an action fighter, which makes it a lot better for me because he’ll come to fight. These taller guys, they use their jab and create a boring fight.
“David’s a good fighter, he’s explosive but he’s always injured. If there’s ever a time to get him, it’s now. He’s looking past me at [Tyson] Fury and [Anthony] Joshua so I can really surprise him. He sees me as a way to get back in the rankings, he’s not as motivated as I am. This is the biggest fight of my life but for a guy who’s fought Wladimir Klitschko, he’s had bigger fights.”
De Mori also conceded that Fury is now the top dog in the division after beating Klitschko though feels his natural gifts hand him a significant advantage.
“Fury technically is the best heavyweight in the world now however I didn’t enjoy his fight, it’s not a fight that would inspire kids to get into boxing,” he said.
“It was 10 rounds of feinting and clinching, they were threatening to fight for 10 rounds and then finally a bit of action in the last two rounds. But he did what he needed to do to win, he has the luxury of being 6’9’’ – I don’t have that luxury so I’m always looking for a real fight.”
De Mori himself stands at 6’2” and prefers to chop down opponents with his meaty arms, having predominantly honed his skills by watching fights on YouTube.
“I used to have professional and amateur trainers but I was never happy with how things were going, that’s when I started studying tapes of the best fighters in the world, especially defensive fighters,” he explained.
“I emulated everything they did in the gym. It’s more exciting to be trying these new, certain things in the gym rather than doing the same old stuff.
“One of my favourites was James Toney, I learnt a huge amount from him because he was a short bulky guy who had great defence but didn’t run away.”
