Does Audley Harrison represent David Haye's biggest heavyweight test to date? The Panel have their say...
The Panel wonder whether Harrison will push Haye all the way
Best of Enemies brings two friends-turned-foes together for an all-British world-title affair.
When David Haye and Audley Harrison meet on November 13, live on Sky Box Office HD and in 3D, there will be much more at stake than the WBA heavyweight crown.
It is a fight that has captured the public's imagination already and our expert Panel are no different.
Over the next two weeks, Jim Watt, Johnny Nelson, Glenn McCrory and Nicky Piper will discuss the major issues surrounding the fight, before delivering their final verdicts...
Question Four
Audley Harrison might have his detractors, but he is the European champion taking on a man that was, just four fights ago a cruiserweight. Is it fair to say this is David Haye's sternest test yet as a heavyweight?
NICKY: I think this will be. Nikolai Valuev was slow and ponderous and although he was 7ft, his KO record was poor; he just wasn't a good puncher. We knew the quality John Ruiz had and that he would be a real test, but he was not a big puncher either. Monte Barrett did catch David but was past his best by a long, long way. With Audley, he will be facing the hardest heavyweight puncher he has faced and a southpaw who can be very cute.
JOHNNY: I agree with Nicky to a degree, but only if Audley performs to the top of ability. If he does I think this will be one of David's biggest tests for sure. Bigger than Ruiz, bigger than Barrett, but maybe not as big as Nikolai Valuev - quite literally. It's not that Valuev was a decent boxer by any stretch of the imagination just that he was such a massive lump; that alone makes him hard to beat, as his record proves.
JIM: Valuev was a world champion who had decent wins over Ruiz and I think it's a little unfair to dismiss him. It was one of the worst fights in the history of the heavyweight division when David did what he had to do and without wishing him bad luck, thank the stars Valuev is now injured! There was all the talk of a return, but which fight would you rather have? John Ruiz was decent too; not the most colourful, or exciting, but the a good fighter - and the job David did on him proved he is world-class.
JOHNNY: Audley has better crededntials than Valuev though; a better jab for a start, it's just that in the past his temperament and courage have let him down. Realistically he knows he has nowhere else to go and when a fighter is backed into a corner like that, no matter what his history, that makes him a serious threat.
JIM: Audley is massive and he is talented - he's an Olympic gold medalist. He is a southpaw, he doesn't like getting it and sometimes those are the hardest guys to hit. He also has the power to knock David out because David's chin is still not proven at heavyweight, so you can't write him off.
NICKY: From the start I thought he had a chance. On the night Audley won Prizefighter and said there and then he would end up fighting David Haye. I don't think David has proven himself as a heavyweight yet, which seems a harsh thing to say about a world champion.
JIM: And whether or not Audley deserves a crack at a world title doesn't matter. He won the European title against Michael Sprott in a fight he was losing, but turned it round in dramatic fashion - so that shows you his level.
GLENN: If I was Audley's shoes and I was fighting for the world heavyweight title, I would have love to fight David Haye. Of course I got Lennox Lewis which is just my luck, but Haye is not a proven heavyweight and Audley knows him inside out. And for me, David has hardly had any heavyweight tests. He's been very well matched because he sells fights and he's done pretty much as he pleases.
JOHNNY: David's career has been through a couple of dips and it has not been without its controversy. He has made a couple of mistakes, but let's not forget he was the undisputed cruiserweight champion - and believe me, that is not an easy thing to do! Then he went up to win a legitimate title at heavyweight against a legitimate champion, again something that not a lot of people manage.
GLENN: But I still think David has got it all to prove. I do think he's lost a bit of credibility by Dereck Chisora turning up after only 14 fights and saying 'I'll have a go at the Klitschkos, why not?'. He has to be lauded for that and I just wonder if David has delayed putting on a superfight because he's not so sure himself that he can win.
JOHNNY: There are still flaws in his make-up and there is always a danger Audley can expose them, but if he's got flaws and chinks and he has still managed to become heavyweight champion of the world, it just shows how much room for improvement there actually is. We should find out a lot more about him depending on how - and if - he deals with Harrison.
Question One: Talking the talk - click here to read
Question Two: The temper trap - click here to read
Question Three: The enemy within - click here to read
