Calzaghe picks his winner in Haye vs Klitschko bout
Published:Although Joe Calzaghe concedes that David Haye’s battle with Wladimir Klitschko will be a cagey affair, he believes that the fight will be over inside five rounds and it will be the Brit that emerges triumphant.
Haye puts his WBA heavyweight belt on the line in the title unification bout and is 11/8 in the boxing odds to secure victory over the Ukrainian.
Klitschko may well be the 8/13 favourite to extend his undefeated streak to 14 fights, since his loss to Lamon Brewster in 2004, but former super-middleweight champion Calzaghe feels that Haye has the credentials to win in Hamburg.
He told talkSPORT: “Haye has tremendous speed and looks in the form of his life. As long as he sticks to his game plan I think he’s got an excellent chance of beating Klitschko.
“I think it’s going to be a chess match, it’s going to be cagey, but I don’t see the fight going longer than five rounds.
“Haye needs to be careful of Klitschko’s right hand because he’s got good power. Whoever gets the first shot in, his opponent could be in trouble.”
Calzaghe added that lesser fighters have previously managed to knock down Klitschko and the fact that Haye is more athletic and faster than the majority of these opponents only supports his chances.
It is 7/4 in the boxing betting that Haye beats Klitschko by KO, while it is 3/1 that he seals his victory inside the opening six rounds of the fight.
Punters in search for bigger rewards may want to be more precise in naming the winning round and it is 18/1 that Haye picks up his victory in round five.
