The cruiserweight division is stacked with hard-punching, exciting fighters yet none of them are household names in the United States. Good thing this fight was in London. Two of the top cruiserweights were in action tonight and it didn’t take long for the hard-punching fighters to show their mettle.
David Haye vs. Enzo Maccarinelli (WBC/WBA/WBO Cruiserweight Title)
Referee: John Keane
Both men are British fighters with a knack for finishing their opponents early. Haye came in as the WBC and WBA champion while Maccarinelli put his WBO belt on the line. While the cruiserweights are essentially unknowns to casual American boxing fans, this matchup was one of the most anticipated fights in British history. Over 20,000 fans showed up for a fight between two British champions, and neither were Ricky Hatton or Joe Calzaghe. Despite both men being from the United Kingdom, Haye was clearly the fan favorite as London is his home.
Haye, as always, is in phenomenal shape. That does him no good in the opening moments of the fight as Maccarinelli staggers him with a left hook. Haye works his jab but is leaving his left hand dangerously low, especially given that he has already been caught once with a big shot. An exchange from both men shows that neither man is respecting the other’s power as much as he should. Maccarinelli shows his jab late in the first round but Haye counters with his impressive hand speed.
The second round begins cautiously. There haven’t been many combinations put together so far in this fight. I wasn’t expecting a lot in this fight but it would keep one’s opponent thinking something other than “Here comes the jab” or “Here comes the haymaker.” Maccarinelli must have been thinking jab because Haye caught him with an overhand right. Maccarinelli responds with a left hook to the body but Haye quickly answers with a beautiful right hand directly to Maccarinelli’s chin. Maccarinelli gets a good body-head combo but Haye blasts him with a right. Maccarinelli grabs the ropes to stay up and Haye goes in for the kill, dropping Maccarinelli with a right. Maccarinelli gets up but he is punch drunk. He wobbles around in a circle, causing the referee to call the fight at 2:04 of the second round.
Winner: David Haye by 2nd Round TKO.
Haye took advantage of his first opening against his countryman and that was all he needed. After unifying the cruiserweight titles, Haye now plans on moving up to the Heavyweight division. In his post-fight interview Haye called the current Heavyweight division a disgrace and said he will clean up the division, calling out Wladimir Klitschko and Samuel Peter by name. Careful David. Both of those guys would finish you in under four rounds.
