Phil D. Jay
WBN Editor
WBN Editor
Trainer says ailment hampered Klitschko performance
Adam Booth has prepared David Haye for battle this Saturday
night as the Bermondsey man aims to put the memory of his loss to Wladimir
Klitschko behind him with a scintillating knockout win over Dereck Chisora at
Upton Park.
Haye, 31, has been out of the ring and semi-retired for a
year since the infamous fight in which the former two-weight world champion was
hampered by a foot injury that cost him a shot at claiming four world heavyweight
titles and Booth was disappointed with the post-fight reaction.
"It's a shame that the toe was what the media chose to
reflect on. David showed a genuine injury and got slaughtered for it,"
Booth said.
"It was a shame because if you watch the first six
rounds it was dead even and (US television network) HBO ever had David ahead.
"It was the second half of the fight that Wladimir used
to put it away.
"David genuinely does not care what people think about
him, but it burns him that in the second half of that fight he didn't do what
he was supposed to do.
"When has he ever failed to be aggressive before?
Fighters are complex creatures."
Booth with stand alongside the ‘Hayemaker’ as usual this
weekend as the former cruiserweight king looks to put the defeat behind him in an attempt to draw Wladimir’s elder brother Vitali into a world title fight
towards the end of the year.
A defeat for Haye is unthinkable at this point in his career
after he came out of retirement specifically for the fight with Chisora, although a victory in front of a 30,000 plus crowd in London could be the spark that prolongs his career.