Haye may need KO to guarantee Klitschko victory in Germany
Published:Contentious boxing decisions are no surprise in Germany and because of this David Haye may have to KO Wladimir Klitschko if he wants to guarantee victory in his heavyweight showdown in Hamburg on Saturday.
Germany is as good as a second home for the Ukrainian IBF, IBO, WBO champion, as the majority of his 58 professional fights have been held in the country.
Therefore, in theory he benefits from home advantage and so WBA title holder Haye may have his work cut out if he expects to win on points in Hamburg, regardless of how dominant he may be throughout the 12 rounds.
Jim Wicks, the former manager of Henry Cooper, once stated in the 1950s that “you’ve got to knock them out to get a draw in Germany,” and Matthew Macklin was the latest to prove this statement true.
Despite dominating the lion’s share of the 12 rounds in his WBA middleweight title bout with German Felix Sturm in Cologne last weekend, Macklin lost via split decision, with two of the judges somehow scoring the fight 116-112 in the favour of the home boxer.
This is certainly not the first time that a so-called away fighter has felt hard done by in Germany, with Sven Ottke benefitting from numerous close calls in his undefeated career, including one over Robin Reid.
Klitschko may enjoy similar good fortune and favouritism and it would be criminal if Haye lost this way.
To prevent such controversy, Haye may need to win the title unification bout by KO and it is 2/1 in the boxing odds that the Brit triumphs in his manner.
Meanwhile, it is 6/4 that he secures victory by any means, while Klitschko is 3/1 to win on points.
Another interesting bet could be the 11/1 on offer that Klitschko is successful courtesy of a split decision.
