Tuesday 19 July 2016 16:22, UK
David Haye claims he is still the best heavyweight on the planet as he continues to chase the biggest names in the division.
'The Hayemaker' (28-2-KO26) has returned from a three-and-a-half-year absence by stopping Mark de Mori and Arnold Gjergjaj in double-quick time and has made no secret of his plans to take on IBF world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua as soon as possible.
Haye is eighth in Sky Sports' heavyweight rankings and said: "I've been inactive and the guys I've fought in my comeback weren't ranked higher than them so I can understand the rankings.
"Obviously I think I'm the best but Tyson Fury beat Wladimir Klitschko and Klitschko beat me. Deontay Wilder is unbeaten in 37 fights, Alexander Povektin only ever lost to Klitschko. Luis Ortiz is also unbeaten.
"I'm not really sure why Bermane Stiverne is there. He got beaten by Wilder in pretty much every single round. Stiverne beat Chris Arreola in Los Angeles and I was there but he got tagged a couple of times. I don't really rate Stiverne."
Of his No 1 target, Haye added: "The longer Anthony has, the better he's going to be, the more lessons he'll learn. The more training camps he goes through, the more sparring he gets, the more seasoned he gets.
"I have a certain skill set that I believe would trump Joshua. He has got the size and strength - I'm sure he could out deadlift me. He's a tremendous athlete. He could probably beat me in a 100m. But this is boxing.
"It's about skill, movement and experience. I've been boxing since the age of 10 and I've got the experience to outmanoeuvre someone who's bigger than me. I've done it in the past. It's easy to say that outside the ring. In the ring, it's a lot more difficult.
"Joshua is one of the top fighters in the world. He has the world title for a reason. He had the Olympic gold medal as an amateur. As a professional he's got a 100 per cent knockout ratio and he's done everything he needs to do."
