Carl Thompson is the only man to have beaten David Haye - and hopes that will still be the case come Sunday morning.
The Manchester man will be watching when his former cruiserweight foe defends his world heavyweight title against John Ruiz at the MEN Arena on Saturday, live on Sky Box Office.
He famously stopped Haye in five rounds back in 2004 in what remains the only blemish on the WBA world champion's 24-fight record.
And although he was happy to share his blueprint for success, Thompson - known as The Cat - is hoping history does not repeat itself and that the Hayemaker retains his title.
"I'm sure he can - and I'll be quite happy to sit in my armchair and put my slippers on and say I'm still the only man!" he told Sky Sports News.Haye says that defeat, in which Thompson's rope-a-dope tactics led him to punch himself to a virtual standstill, was a blessing in disguise and taught him a valuable lesson.
He has not lost a fight in the subsequent six years and has even had to climb off the canvas to win, most notably against Jean-Marc Mormeck in Paris in 2007.
Patient
"It shows he can be knocked down because in one or two fights before that he got knocked down, but the sign of a good champion is one who can always gets back and win.
"He's climbed off the floor after he got beat and now he's the world heavyweight champion."
Ruiz says he will drag Haye into a war and is no stranger to going the full championship distance, but is 38 and will be boxing for the 55th time as a professional.
He is known for an uncompromising style and says he will keep coming forward all night long - a tactic that Thompson says is the best way for him to win.
"You've got to go in there and think I'm gonna win the fight, no matter what; use pace, put David under pressure, don't give him time to set his punches," he said.
"And if he does hit you, you need to put the pressure back on him."
No comments:
Post a Comment