On November 7th 2009, despite giving up 7 stones, David Haye defeated Nikolai Valuev via what was an extremely debatable majority decision.
Haye vs. Valuev Round by Round
The contest began tentatively, with Haye being quite negative, while Valuev kept the centre of the ring, and pawed with the jab. Valuev probably won this, solely because Haye hardly threw anything.
The second was marginally better for Haye, although Valuev controlled the session, using his jab as a rangefinder. Haye connected with a good one-two combination at the end, although this was his only moment of glory in this session.
Round three was better for the Bermondsey heavyweight. He used his feet effectively as per the previous rounds, but he added some good left hooks into his reportoire making himself more effective. Valuev was simply hitting thin air at this point.
On the contrary, round four was all Valuev. Despite not connecting with many shots, Valuev was getting Haye into corners and putting him in situations he didn't want to be in. Haye didn't throw a lot, and it would be hard to give that round to the 'Hayemaker'.
Round five was also good for Valuev, and he finished with a tasty three punch combination. Haye was once again very inactive, and was just trying to potshot his way through. This didn't appear to be putting rounds in the bag for him though.
Haye did much better in the sixth. He tested Valuev's chin (which remained sturdy), and managed to hit the gigantic Russian with some power punches. The London man needed to keep this up, as he was seemingly several rounds down at this point.
Valuev bettered his foe in the seventh though, much to the dislike of the British contingent in the crowd. The clubbing right of the giant was beginning to touch the brash challenger, but in fairness to Haye, this round was close.
The eighth wasn't though. Haye's accuracy told here, and his speed was something Valuev couldn't deal with. Valuev was once again tiring himself out by hitting nothing, and Haye won this easily.
The challenger decided to take a breather in round nine, allowing Valuev to impose himself and land a few jabs, and consequently letting the champion take the stanza. Similarly, Haye did very little in the tenth, although saying that, Valuev didn't connect with much at the same time.
The eleventh session was rather dull, although Valuev caught Haye with a good left hook at the end. Haye remained on the run for most of the round, meaning that Valuev was the one pressing the action.
The twelfth was the best round of the fight entertainment wise. Haye unloaded with a few shots, and after a left hook, for the first time in his career, Valuev did the 'chicken dance'. Unfortunately for the travelling British supporters, Haye couldn't finish the job, but in general, the round was overwhelmingly in his favour.
The Judges Render Their Decisions
One judge scored the bout a 114-114 draw, while the other two both gave Haye the win by four points by a 116-112 margin.
This decision seemed utterly bizarre. Valuev, despite being from Russia was the home fighter and he seemingly pushed the pace, yet the judges favoured the potshotting Haye's 'runaway' tactics.
The decision was indefensible. 116-112 was the correct margin, but it should have been the other way round; i.e. Valeuv being the winner. Valuev must be bitterly disappointed he was the victim of a 'screwjob' on his 'home turf', and it's disgraceful decisions like this that give boxing a bad name.
Where Now For Haye And Valuev?
It's hard to see where Valuev goes after this. Hardly a spring chicken after 16 years as a professional, this may signal the beginning of the end of what has been a long and hard career for the gigantic Russian.
As for Haye, John Ruiz, who was also on the card may be his next opponent. He will probably force a mandatory out of Haye, although he may have to travel to London to get his chance. At this juncture, it looks as if Haye will probably have too much for the 'Quiet Man'.
Right now though, Haye will be celebrating his victory in Nuremburg. However, it seems harsh that Valuev isn't the one in that situation given his efforts during the contest.
