Phil D. Jay
WBN Editor
Promoter went out-on-a-limb for British grudge match
WBN Editor
It must be said that when David Haye sat at the back of a
Munich press conference supping a bottle of lemonade, that most people in the
boxing business did not envisage what would transpire in the next fifteen
minutes.
From the moment that the night’s failed world title
challenger and already irate Dereck Chisora clapped eyes on the former WBA
heavyweight champion raining on his Klitschko parade, there was only one place
the two British fighters were going to drag any ensuing argument.
‘Del Boy’ was already in a bad place judging by his previous
antics over the weekend when he unwittingly slapped Vitali at a packed weigh-in
to the amazement of those present and continued the madness with a water-spit
at Wladimir in the ring.
Then rushing towards an already hyped up Haye, who was only there
to call out Chisora’s opponent, may not have been the best idea and there is a
two-side debate as to whether the former British champion got what he deserved
with a fist full of a mini-Schweppes bottle in return.
Although unscripted and totally out-of-order, the next ten minutes
of recorded air-time where undisputedly TV gold and have made both fighters
very rich men indeed when they lock horns tomorrow at Upton Park.
Frank Warren has mentioned that Klitschko manager Bernd
Boente came up with the plan to pit both fighters against each other in the February press conference, but rest assured that as soon as Haye landed the first
fateful blow, the long-time promoter would have planted the seed that has now
blossomed into tomorrow night’s spectacle.
Out of the many promoters in boxing today, not many would
have been able to hurdle the obstacles that have been wedged in the way of
making this fight happen and in the next 24 hours or so we will all know whether
it was worth all the hassle.
British fight fans have craved a big clash between two
figureheads of the sport in the UK and Warren has provided it, and not before
time as fights between Tyson Fury and David Price and Martin Murray and Matthew
Macklin look miles away.
Let it be said that the previous two fights craved by the British
public at large were signed and sealed by Warren as George Groves and James
DeGale enthralled over twelve rounds and Nathan Cleverly’s battle with Tony
Bellew is still hopeful of a second helping.
Tomorrow night could go down in folklore as one of the
greatest nights of the British modern era, although it could equally be remembered
as one of the worst decisions by a promoter to put his reputation on the line….I
believe that the former will be the case in this instance.