David Haye insists it was the public voice that convinced him to meet Enzo Maccarinelli and delay his move to heavyweight.
Fighter delays his move to heavyweight to please the public
David Haye insists it was the public voice that convinced him to meet Enzo Maccarinelli and delay his move to heavyweight.
After beating Jean Marc Mormeck to secure the WBC and WBA cruiserweight titles in November - Haye announced that it would be his final fight in the division.
However the 27-year-old claims the clamour for his unification showdown with Maccarinell - who holds the WBO belt, forced a rethink.
"Everybody has been asking me when I would fight Enzo," said the Londoner.
Aggressive
"Even after I beat Mormeck people were asking me, 'When are you going to fight Enzo?' So I decided to get it on.
"It's the fight the fans want to see. I could have fought anybody but we went after this one."
The explosive power which both men possess suggests it could be an early finish - and Haye predicts the mouth-watering contest will be a thriller.
"Our records speak for themselves. We're the best at what we do in the cruiserweight division and we both have knockout power in either hand," he said.
"In the past we've both shown vulnerabilities but have always shown big hearts to come back and turn the tables.
"We are two aggressive guys - look at our knockout percentages, they're ridiculous!"
