The biggest mouth in boxing since the days of the Louisville Lip, David Haye, returns to the ring and formally begins his campaign for another world title when he meets Manuel Charr on June 29th in Manchester. It isn’t the world title fight that Haye promised, or even a fight that might move Haye closer to that fight, but one thing is certain: unless he’s against a Klitschko, Haye isn’t a boring guy to watch.
Manuel Charr (23-1, 13 KOs)
6’3 1/2″ tall; approx. 240 lbs; 28 years old
Lebanese-German
Born in Beirut and growing up in Germany, Manuel Charr came over to boxing from martial arts and Muay-Thai, under the tutelage of Ulli Wegner. His main claim to fame is getting stopped in four last year by Vitali Klitschko, and the only name win on his resume is beating up a badly faded Danny Williams. The Diamond Boy showed up in the wake of Haye vs. Chisora to call out the Hayemaker, which possibly explains what he is doing fighting him now.
David Haye (26-2, 24 KOs)
6’3″ tall; approx. 215 lbs; 78″ reach; 32 years old
Briton
Former WBA Heavyweight Champion; Former WBA-WBC-WBO Cruiserweight World Champion
The Hayemaker is the best of Britain’s current crop of heavyweights, at least until some of the rising young lions prove themselves and come into title contention. He brings a loud, brash personality to the fight game, and carries fast hands, explosive power, and able footwork into the ring.
Haye vs. Charr Analysis
Charr is a stepping stone, and everyone knows it. While he doesn’t have any real flaws, he just isn’t a world class fighter. His two assets in this fight are size (Haye and Charr are about the same height, but Charr is much bigger physically) and his determination.
Unlike some of Haye’s heavyweight opponents, Charr has a sound foundation of boxing fundamentals, so he won’t be sloppy, and as anyone who saw him fight Klitschko the Elder knows, he won’t give up. Those two things don’t point to a Charr win, but it’s hard to see the fight ending particularly early.
Haye vs. Charr Preview
Haye’s marked advantages in speed and power are going to put Charr down, but Charr isn’t going to give Haye a multitude of opportunities the way Chisora or Harrison did. He will come forward behind a Continental guard and try to use his size to sustain his momentum, so I look for Haye’s early bombs to land in the body, and for him to sneak in nasty shots up top either in counters or slipping through the cracks during exchanges.
The thing here is that while Charr’s sound fundamentals will make him harder to get out of there, his will to win will guarantee that out he will go. He might give Haye fewer chances to land Hayemakers, but he will keep on giving them.
Prediction: David Haye TKO8 Manuel Charr
