UNBEATEN heavyweight prospect, Nick Webb has picked out five potential opponents for David Haye’s next fight slated for Saturday May 21 at London’s O2 Arena.
The bout will be the Londoner’s second fight back from retirement, the first being the 131-second demolition of top-10 WBA ranked Aussie opponent, Mark De Mori on January 16 at the same venue in Greenwich, live on TV channel Dave.
The 20,000-capacity arena along the Greenwich Peninsula is a historically successful venue for The Hayemaker having stopped Enzo Maccarinelli and Monte Barrett there in consecutive fights back in 2008.
Trained by new coach, Shane McGuigan, who guided Carl Frampton to the IBF super-bantamweight title, the Bermondsey boy has a distinctive new, heavier look as he battles to make it back to world title contention at 35-years-old.
Nick Webb, 28-years-old from Chertsey, provided Boxing News Online with an exclusive preview into who he believes the next opponent might be for The Hayemaker on his march back to world title contention.
5. Andrey Fedosov (29-3)
The hard-hitting Russian is the current holder of the WBO International heavyweight title after winning ESPN’s Boxcino heavyweight division tournament in May last year.
I saw the semi-final that he won against Lenroy Thomas in April and Fedosov was floored just seconds into the fight but rallied back well to end it in the third round.
He then went on to annihilate Donovan Dennis in the final, dropping him three times before the referee stopped it in the eighth round.
The three opponents he defeated in the competition had a combined record of 40-4 and he only needed 12 of the 24 rounds to dispatch of them, all his wins coming inside the schedule.
Because of that tournament win, the Hollywood resident was awarded the WBO International heavyweight title as a prize and is now hot property in the US, and would provide any opponent a step up in the WBO table.
The 29-year-old’s team have already said they would be open to the fight if the offer was presented.
His last loss was to world title challenger, Bryant Jennings back in 2013.
In short, he’s a tough guy, hits hard, ranked highly but is easy to hit so he represents a perfect opponent for Haye.
Webb’s verdict: Haye wins via early knockout.
4. Shannon Briggs (59-6-1)
Briggs is most known for two things in my book, and that’s being the final nail in George Foreman’s remarkable career and the crazy antics with his rival, Wladimir Klitschko.
I’ve seen the clips on YouTube where he follows the Ukrainian around, hassling and goading him. The one where he knocks Wlad off his paddleboard in Florida with his speedboat is pretty funny!
A match-up between these two will give the media a field day. I could see the pre-fight antics being a comical and point-scoring affair as opposed to anything too rough and unfriendly like when Tyson bit Lennox in the New York press conference in 2002.
I’d say that the pre-fight entertainment would probably edge towards Briggs getting the upper hand but the action in the fight would be all one-sided to The Hayemaker.
The Cannon has had his best days already, famously knocking George Foreman into retirement for the final time in 1997 and becoming only the fifth person to ever defeat the heavyweight great in 81 fights.
Since his previous loss to Vitali Klitschko, the Brooklyn boxer has put together eight wins on the spin, all but one of those results coming by way of knockout in the first two rounds.
He’s a former world champion who hasn’t been stopped since Lennox Lewis knocked him out in the fifth round of their WBC World heavyweight contest in 1998.
It would provide Haye with some much needed rounds and the real challenge would be whether he could join Lennox Lewis and Darroll Wilson as one of very few to stop the former WBO World champ.
The fight would definitely capture the attention of the media in the build-up with Haye’s loose tongue and the Cannon’s crazy capers.
He could match Haye with words but not with punches. It’d be a win for Haye, the media and for British boxing in general, and he would send him spinning into retirement like he did to George Foreman 15 years ago.
Webb’s verdict: Haye wins via knockout.
3. Dillian Whyte (16-1)
This fight could very likely be on the cards soon, especially after Whyte ridiculed Haye for his win over the “sausage” Mark de Mori, as he put it.
The Body Snatcher went on to disclose that he was due to fight de Mori a while back but the Aussie declined the offer because he didn’t want to fight, according to Whyte.
The Brixton boxer is currently recuperating following surgery on his shoulder and plans to recover with a few warm up fights first but if the money’s there and he’s feeling strong again, I’m sure he’ll take the fight with Haye. The fight would only be there for a brief period before Haye steps on further in his world title quest so if he doesn’t take it when offered in the next few months then it’s gone forever.
Although he didn’t get a win against Joshua, he did prove himself as a capable heavyweight who can take a hit as well as give one out and surely has a long-term future in the division at a high level. Not sure that would be world level yet but certainly could do something domestically and on the European scene.
He had AJ wobbling in the second round of their bout at the O2 Arena last December but he failed to capatalise on it. He also showed resilience to make it to the seventh round, taking the former Olympian into unchartered territory, where no other opponent had managed to take him before.
A fight against Whyte would see Haye examined on his performance against a former Joshua victim. I personally think Haye could wear him down quicker than Joshua managed. However, if Whyte’s defence improves then he could stand a good chance of winning.”
Webb’s verdict: Haye wins via knockout.
2. Bermane Stiverne (25-2-1)
This pair share one common goal in that they both yearn to be a world champion again.
The Haiti-born heavyweight was only a world champion one year ago so has been a lot more active on the highest level than Haye has lately which would provide him with the upper hand.
Based in Las Vegas, B.WARE claimed the vacant WBC belt in 2014 after beating Chris Arreola by TKO midway through the championship fight.
However, he failed to hold onto the strap for long, losing the green belt in his first defence by the widest of margins to Deontay Wilder in January 2015.
The 37-year-old was completely outclassed by the Bronze Bomber but he also displayed incredible courage and durability during the championship contest.
He has a career knockout ratio of 75 per cent so not only can he take a shot, he can give one out as well.
If Haye went up against Stiverne, it would give him the chance to do a number on an opponent that Wilder couldn’t get rid of early.
It seems that B.WARE has yet to book a fight date into his calendar for 2016, which suggests that he’s eyeing his opportunities carefully so a date in March or April against Haye would give both men suitable time to prepare and a huge chance to further their claims for a world title shot later in the year.
I think he could be the right opponent for Haye to tackle next as he presents a serious challenge, however, Stiverne has been more active on the world title scene lately which gives him the upper hand.
Webb’s verdict: Stiverne wins via points
1. Malik Scott (38-2-1)
I believe the Philadelphian is the most likely candidate for Haye next after he was calling the Londoner out on Twitter.
It’s how de Mori got his shot and, as an astute businessman, Haye could use that to his advantage to build the fight, citing that there’s a bit of needle there.
He also ticks a lot of boxes for Haye as he’s an experienced heavyweight who would be an excellent stepping stone towards a world title fight and, most importantly, the tattooed American seems keen to take on the Hayemaker.
Scott’s got a great record but he has already failed to beat a former Haye victim in Dereck Chisora, which will leave boxing fans to draw their own comparisons, resulting in the inevitable critics calling it a farce.
His defeat to Wilder in March 2014 also devalues his credibility somewhat as he only lasted 96 seconds, crumpling under a left hook to the temple followed by a straight right through the Philadelphian’s guard which many fans believed was controversial as the punches barely connected enough to cause any lasting damage, yet he failed to beat the referee’s count.
Haye could also favour Scott because he’s a light hitter, judging by his 32 per cent career knockout rate, and the both are the same age at 35-years-old.
Scott was last seen beating compatriot Tony Thompson on points in October 2015 so has not been out of the ring for long.
Webb’s verdict: Haye wins via knockout
