A dream come true - Haye

David overcome with emotion after one-handed win

Last updated: 8th November 2009

Haye: one-handed wonder

When I was a little baby I said I'd be heavyweight champion of the world.

David Haye
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DAVID AND GOLIATH
WBA Heavyweight title
David Haye v Nikolai Valuev
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David Haye was full of emotion at becoming the WBA Heavyweight champion with a points victory over giant Russian Nikolai Valuev in Nuremberg.

The Bermondsey fighter rocked his giant opponent in the final round of a cat-and-mouse with what seemed to be a cuffing left hook - suggesting the bout could've been over much sooner had the challenger not suffered an injury to his right hand early on - and took a majority decision.

However, Haye was more than happy with the execution of the gameplan and the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

"This is everything to me," he told Sky Box Office. "When I was a little baby I said I'd be heavyweight champion of the world. I just fought the biggest heavyweight champion in history - he was very strong."

"I hit him with some big shots and only in the last round did it seem to hurt him."

Haye, 29, also revealed an injury hampered much of his power.

"I damaged my right hand in the round two or three so I couldn't throw too many right hands," he said. "I had to win the fight essentially with my left hand.

"I knew that I'm the best heavyweight in the world. I trained to be more aggressive but hurt my hand."

Valuev, who has still never been knocked to the canvas in his professional career, looked sluggish at times as he failed to connect with his far speedier opponent but seemed to be gathering momentum in the middle rounds as Haye's injury became apparent.

Indeed, going into the 10th, the 36-year-old giant would have been fractionally ahead on most scorecards before the challenger dug deep to snatch victory.

A lightning flash one-two in the closing round nearly afforded the crowd a sensational knockout, but although Valuev's legs were briefly jellified, the mountain never quite fell and Haye was left wondering whether the judges would come through for him.

With the first judge scoring the contest a draw, it looked as if Valuev was in with a chance of retaining his belt, but after scores of 116-112 were read out on both other scorecards and Michael Buffer's subsequent "from London, England" breaking the unbearable tension, Haye was screaming with joy.

He then paid troubte to the former champion, but refused to apologise for his trash-talking before the contest.

"I'm a guy who says what he thinks and I think what I say. I've got full respect for Valuev - I know I said I didn't but I hit him with some big shots and he's a strong man. I believe he'll win back the title another time.

"His head is solid. It's the hardest thing I've ever hit. It's like hitting a brick wall. I felt a real bad pain in my right hand so I decided I was only going to use it when his chin was hanging right out. I'm pretty sure it's broken."

"In the last round I saw it, he was getting desperate and I put a bit of meat on it and you saw his legs dance - his legs have never gone like that before. It shows my power.

"I'm going to party all night long."