‘David Vs Goliath’ boxing betting preview

On Saturday November 7 Britain’s David Haye takes on the giant Russian WBA Heavyweight Champion of the World Nikolai Valuev. At over 7ft Valuev dwarfs the 6ft2in Haye but amazingly Haye is the favourite with the online boxing betting odds at 1.72 (8/11), with Valuev at 2.46 (6/4). This could perhaps be because so much money has gone on Haye that the odds have shortened, because this is by no means an easy fight for the Brit.

Having fought most of his career at cruiserweight this will be a huge test for Haye, or the ‘Hayemaker’. Just finding a sparing partner of a similar size to Valuev will have been tough enough for the London-born fighter! Haye is a big hitter, his punch is his biggest weapon by far and he does have great technique, but what happens if he hits Valuev just right and the Russian doesn’t move? We don’t know if that is going to happen until the night unfortunately but I reckon Haye can cause some damage, if he can get close enough in to land the decent punches.

For Haye to win the fight he will need to keep his discipline. When smaller guys fight big guys they can get carried away when they do manage to get in close and try and land too many shots. However, David Haye is a very technically aware boxer (watch his demolition of Enzo Maccarinelli for evidence) and should be prepared as best as he can be to fight Valuev.

Personally, I think if Haye is going to win this fight he is going to have to knock Valuev out. The Russian has a far superior reach and will be able to land more jabs than Haye, remember Valuev isn’t just a hulk – he knows how to box. An online boxing bet on Haye to win by KO, TKO or DQ pays 3.8 (14/5), which looks a very attractive proposition when all things considered.

If you like to play it safe, or are unconvinced Haye has the punching power to knock Valuev out. Covering yourself by betting on Valuev to win by decision/tech decision might not be a bad idea, that pays a very attractive 4.9 (5/1), so a small stake could recover your losses.

This really is a hard fight to call in the fact that up until this point neither fighter has faced the same type of challenge. Haye has, of course, never fought anyone the sheer size of Valuev, while I would argue that Valuev has never fought anyone as technically gifted as Haye. Granted, the Russian has beaten the likes of Monte Barrett (on a TKO, Barrett took his punches and got up but his trainer threw in the towel) and former world champion Evander Holyfield (who was 46 when he faced Valuev) on points. Haye is in his prime and his people wouldn’t have arranged the Valuev fight if they didn’t think he stood a really good chance, which is why I think Haye to win by KO, TKO or DQ looks the best bet.