Haye vs Bellew: Just winning is not enough for David Haye, says Carl Froch
Wednesday 1 March 2017 14:36, UK
Carl Froch is surprised by David Haye's press conference performance and wonders if he is taking Tony Bellew too lightly...
David Haye seemed more animated and unsettled than I have ever seen.
He is never usually like that. It's almost like he thinks he has such an easy job in front of him, he doesn't need to focus.
For David Haye this fight was already a big risk but it seems to be turning into an even bigger risk. The last thing he needs to do is struggle through, no matter what the result.
No-one was surprised at Tony Bellew's fans giving him stick but did he have to turn on them and get involved?
Why not just laugh it off and just sit back, tell everybody he was just there to discuss the fight? Not get involved at all. There was something not right about him.
It just reminded me of my own behaviour ahead of the first George Groves fight.
At the press conferences and weigh-in, I was dismissive of him, didn't give him any respect and was sure it was going to be an easy night's work.
And then when the fight started, I just went in there thinking I could knock him out early. It turned into very hard night's work.
For David Haye, this fight was already a big risk but it seems to be turning into an even bigger risk. The last thing he needs to do is struggle through, no matter what the result is. Winning is not enough. I've always saw this as a 50-50 fight, but Monday hasn't changed that in the slightest.
For a start, if he loses to Bellew, it is the end of him. He might want to carry on, but it would be devastating for him. But on top of that, if he struggles and doesn't look good, the win won't be enough.
David wants to move on to bigger and better things at heavyweight, so if he does struggle - even if he wins - I am not sure where he goes next.
He has been linked with Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder and the other title holders but can you imagine what will happen if all he hears is 'David Haye struggled against a cruiserweight'?
If he doesn't win this one, all of a sudden Haye against Joshua is a complete mismatch. The value of that crashes through the floor, straight away.
If David gets Bellew out of there in style, he will move on. He will be well paid and right back in the public eye, so it will tick all the boxes.
But right now, there are a lot more ifs when it comes to David Haye.
