Haye and Harrison: Where is the love?
At yesterday’s press conference in which David Haye and Audley Harrison announced their forthcoming heavyweight world title clash, the animosity between the rivals was clear for all to see.
Yet why is there so much hatred between the pair? It didn’t used to be that way. Once they had a friendship which saw Haye getting his first breaks on TV when Harrison put him on his undercards.
This was during a period where “A-Force” was one of the biggest stars in Britain; fresh from a gilded performance at the 2000 Olympics, his fights were live on BBC with huge viewing figures. Meanwhile a teenage Haye was just another face trying to stand out from the pack, a cruiserweight with a silver medal in the world championships taking his first steps into professional boxing. Harrison took the young “Hayemaker” under his wing and offered him help and guidance.
Haye was even Harrison’s ringside guest at the Mike Tyson v Julius Francis fight 10 years ago and there were reports they went to glamorous parties and rap star shindigs together as well as training alongside each other and generally getting along.
Yet when their careers drifted in contrasting direction the favour was not returned. Harrison wanted to get on a Haye undercard at a time when he was massively out of favour and the Hayemaker rebuffed his offer. Haye has always laid the blame with the TV companies citing the fact they didn’t want to show a Harrison fight, yet you’d have thought Haye could have made it happen if he really wanted to.
There was also a reported ill-fated training session that further forced a wedge between the two, when Haye turned up unannounced at a Harrison workout and tried to floor him. A-force recalled the incident saying: "I am happy to step into the ring with David and pay him back after the last sparring session we had, where he took liberties after my first loss to Danny Williams.
"To make it worse, Lennox Lewis had come to see me. David and his sidekick Adam Booth turned up unannounced and tried to blast me out.”
It’s like an extremely watered down version of the Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier rivalry. When Ali was inactive due to losing his licence, Frazier gave him money to fight the case, publicly declared his support and gave “The Louisville Lip” a shot at his old title. Yet when it came to the fight Ali got very vicious and personal, although always a trash talker the barbs he aimed at “Smokin’ Joe” were considered particularly unfair.
Likewise the insults Haye is aiming at Harrison are a bit harsh. At the end of their careers Ali tried to take it back and said he was just promoting the fight, but Frazier didn’t accept the apology and hates him to this day.
Yes, Harrison has often proved himself a bit of a buffoon with his constant boasting in the media and frequent third person referrals; despite losing to journeymen. But he did look after Haye when they were younger and perhaps the Hayemaker should show him a bit more respect.
It does all make for a fiery contest though. The press conference showed there was no love lost between the pugilists and was often hilarious with such exchanges as this,
David Haye: “I'm a better athlete. I bet I could run faster, jump higher, I've got better reflexes. You can't do anything. You cannot do anything.”
Audley Harrison: “If you remember the England training camp, I beat you over 100m sprint.”
David Haye: “No way, no you can't.”
Audley Harrison: “I'll be there, every second of every round.”
David Haye: “You're delusional mate, delusional.”
Audley Harrison: “When I've knocked you out and taken your belt, I'll give you some ice and say 'Am I still delusional?'”
It’s this hatred which makes this competition interesting and makes you wonder if Harrison does have an outside chance. It is the biggest fight of his career, the opportunity he has waited his whole life for - potentially his final fight. He has a puncher’s chance and he’s really going to want to shut Haye up. Meanwhile The Hayemaker is so preoccupied with insulting Harrison and mocking him that he is going to be so confident that he might not see that left hand roar out towards his chin. Normally Haye is the one getting under people’s skins, but you can see from the look on his face that A-force has narked him and this is very much personal for the champ.
There’s no question who the better fighter is, but sport is about attitude and seizing the moment. Haye is adding fuel to the fire of a potentially embarrassing defeat and with comedy heated exchanges and trash talking suddenly there is much to look forward to, considering this fight initially looked like one big joke.
A-force has been banging on about winning a world title for years now, like most of Britain, Haye finds this hilarious, but he may not be laughing come the end of the night on November 13th as the former friends settle things in the ring.
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