DAVID HAYES’ ATTEMPTS to wind up Wladimir Klitschko before their world title bout in Hamburg tomorrow have led to migraines and double vision for the Englishman.
Both world heavyweight champion brothers are now standing side by side at every opportunity staring down the British champ.
So sick of the sight of the Ukrainian brothers is Haye, he quickly scampered from a open training session when Wladimir unexpectedly turned up.
The press conference earlier this week was a zoo. Who held what? What held who? And how do three champions fit into a ring designed for two.
But it was a non too eventful presser by past standards; there were a few verbals and security had to step in when the stare down became a bit touchy feely. However it was not a classic big fight press conference blow up…..
1. Larry Holmes V Trevor Berbick
The originals of separate World titles. Holmes and Berbick never fought to unify the belts, they waited until Tyson decimated them both and then got it on.
In the era of the explosion of pro-wrestling, it appears their presser had more WWF choreography than boxing was ready for. Just watch Larry Holmes move.
2. Lennox Lewis v Mike Tyson
Well the press didn’t get to hear a word from either man at this conference. They didn’t need to as actions speak louder than words.
Iron Mike had claimed he would eat Lewis’s children; an interesting statement considering Lewis didn’t have any at that point.
No wonder Tyson got into some financial woes, look at the size of that entourage – and none of them figured out that Lewis was childless.
3. Muhammad Ali v Joe Frazier
They were both Olympic champions, they were both sparring partners and friends, but when Frazier became World Champ in Ali’s enforced absence, Ali’s opinion on the Philadelphia boxer – with the most amazing left hook possibly ever seen in pro boxing, changed dramatically. Ali felt the force of that in their first fight in New York in 1971 and prior to the rematch, taunted Frazier and even printed t-shirts.
Push a man too far…… well the rest is boxing history.
4. James ‘Lights Out’ Toney v John Ruiz
This is a verbal classic -Lights Out famously a middleweight champion in the time of Benn, Eubank and Collins threatened to knock them all out, but fought none.
After numerous years of weight gain, mainly through partying and drugs, he re-emerged as a heavyweight under the tutelage of the brilliant Freddie Roach (that’s him in the Celtic jersey bizarrely). Lights Out is now an MMA punchbag, still with a mouth.
5. Lennow Lewis v Hasim Rahman
Didn’t he always seem to be the nice boxer, well the evidence says otherwise as a two-time offender on this list.
Lennox Lewis had just suffered the second defeat of his career to Rahman in South Africa and wanted revenge. The only man to previously beat him was Oliver McCall, and in the rematch Lewis did a number on him.
Lewis always said Rahman landed a lucky punch – so no surprises Lewis was ready and waiting.
Rahman is still boxing, but he never was that lucky. When he came home to Baltimore after originally beating Lewis for the World title, the city organised a ticker-tape parade around the city in his honour. His driver must have had money on Lewis though, as he somehow managed to crash the slow moving car and hospitalise Rahman.