David Haye may not command the same respect if he fights again, says Sky Sports' Jamie Moore
Friday 20 November 2015 10:34, UK
A possible heavyweight comeback, the underrated Lee Haskins, Anthony Joshua's new deal and sauna wars. Here's Jamie Moore...
David Haye is back in training with Shane McGuigan. If he came back would he be the most respected British heavyweight?
I'm not sure about that. It's too strong a statement. The reason being is that I think he lost a little bit of respect from some British fans over the Tyson Fury saga. I don't say that in a negative way towards David because I'm sure there was nothing he could do - injuries are injuries and if you can't fight then you can't fight. But boxing fans can be fickle.
We all get upset when a big fight falls through and David Haye got the brunt of it - even though it wasn't his fault. So whether he's going to be held in the same esteem if he comes back remains to be seen.
I think people have missed him. He's charismatic, explosive and is in good fights, so boxing fans in general will have missed him. But I suspect there'll be a minority that say they don't need him back. Personally, I think he's a great addition. Maybe he'll even be tempted to test the waters at cruiserweight again, but the bigger fights are at heavyweight and knowing David, he'll want to be involved in the big occasions.
Have the achievements of Lee Haskins been overlooked amid all the recent British success?
I certainly believe he's been overlooked but a lot of that has to do with the fact that he's been travelling away for his fights and not been on our TVs much. The media have therefore not covered him as much as they do other fighters. Not many people get to see him.
He's got a difficult fight at the weekend in Las Vegas against the unbeaten Randy Caballero. The American is a dangerous fighter to be in a ring with but Haskins has come on in leaps and bounds over the last couple of years. He's got an awkward style but he's learned how to make it effective.
He seems to model himself on Prince Naseem, with the weird angles he throws his shots from. In the middle of his career when he took a few losses, he was trying to be something he wasn't but now he realises that he's unique. If you try and be yourself rather than copy other people, you tend to be more successful and it's working wonders for him at the moment.
How important for British boxing is the announcement of Anthony Joshua's new contract with Matchroom?
There were a few rumours suggesting he'd be off to America, which would have been our loss and their gain because he's an unbelievable talent. He's so exciting to watch that he generates massive publicity. For us to be guaranteed having him in the UK for the majority of the time, building his fan base, is great news.
With the addition of David Haye to the mix, it makes it all the more intriguing from a British fan's point of view. There are big fights in America with the likes of Deontay Wilder but I think Anthony Joshua v David Haye is bigger in the UK than Joshua v Wilder.
I'm looking forward to seeing how the AJ story unfolds over the coming years because one thing's for sure - it's going to be a great story.
What do you make of the early media skirmishes between Carl Frampton and Scott Quigg?
There's less animosity between the fighters and it's more to do with the trainers. We saw Barry McGuigan really getting annoyed with some of the comments made by Joe Gallagher yesterday and that's understandable.
To me, Frampton and Quigg have looked pretty laid back so far. Frampton got a little agitated on the first day and was less at ease but I think the first press conference is normally the edgier one. The more they do, the more they get used to each other's banter and the psychological games.
Frampton will have a massive entourage in Belfast and they'll be very vocal towards Quigg but at the end of the day, none of this makes a great deal of difference. They just need to get it out of the way and then concentrate in the gym. Fights are won and lost in the gym; the saying is there for a reason.
Tyson Fury says he outlasted Wladimir Klitschko in a sauna. What are your experiences of saunas?
I've never been involved in any competitions with other boxers but I do have my own story about a sauna. I spent a significant amount of the last couple of years of my boxing career in a sauna trying to make weight. It was horrendous.
In a sauna was the only place I've nearly had a fight with an 80-year-old. It was in Dublin and I was getting weight off for an Irish title fight. To be fair to the guy, he was only asking me normal questions but I was hungry, dehydrated and at the end of my tether. I nearly ended up having a fight with him and my mate was in there finding it hysterical.
Fury thinks he's getting a psychological advantage from outlasting Klitschko in the sauna and if he truly believes that, it won't do him any harm.
