David Haye plans to use John Ruiz as a stepping stone to the Klitschkos -- Telegraph

By Gareth A Davies, Telegraph.co.uk

Haye claimed the World Boxing Association belt in Nuremberg last November with a clinical game plan against the 7ft tall, 23st Valuev, in an absorbing 12-round contest in which the Bermondsey fighter, demontsrating his boxing skills, won a comprehensive unanimous points decision, to become Britain's first heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis.

Yet Haye holds only a portion of the undisputed crown, his endgame being two fights with the Ukrainian Klitschko brothers, Wladimir and Vitaly, who between them hold the other three significant title. Wladimir is World Boxing Organisation and International Boxing Federation champion, while his elder brother is World Boxing Council king.

Before that, Haye must first dispense with former two-time world champion Ruiz, the mandatory challenger to his WBA title, who has a habit of making fights incongruous and ugly.

Haye, 29, a powerful puncher with a predatory style in the ring, having knocked out 21 of his 24 opponents – mainly as a world cruiserweight champion before stepping up to the heavyweight division – expects the 38-year-old challenger to try and wrestle the title off him. He knows that he must not allow the American into the fight with his awkward style.

"Going into the Valuev fight everyone was worried for me, but this time everyone expects me to blast Ruiz out of there," said Haye. "Technically, Ruiz is more awkward than Valuev. He gets in close, and wrestles you, so in some respects he's more dangerous than Valuev, who appears to be more dangerous simply because of his size.

"Valuev was 7st heavier than me and nearly a foot taller so I didn't look to wrestle or hold against him, but Ruiz is basically the same size as me. It won't be a problem for me to fight up close and get my shots off."

Ruiz has won 44 of his 54 professional contests, but has lost three of his last six outings, two of those to Valuev. Yet Ruiz has a fine record. He fought Evander Holyfield three times (winning, losing and drawing), James Toney, Roy Jones Jr, Hasim Rahman – who inflicted one of Lennox Lewis's two defeats – and has formidable experience in smothering the skills of other fighters.

"You have to respect his longevity in the division, his record is like a Who's Who of the heavyweight division over the last 10 years," said Haye.

"There are no great frills about him, he calls himself the Quiet Man, and that's how he goes about his business, but he has been an effective heavyweight campaigner. You don't become a two-time world champion without being a serious threat in the ring."

Haye is renowned for getting under the skin of his opponents and revealed he has "a few tricks up his sleeve".

"I think I can unsettle him. On the surface, he is calm and collected, but he knows he is getting in there with a younger, hungrier opponent. Having said that, this is his last chance for glory in the heavyweight division, and I don't intend to leave the door open for him."

But the endgame remains the same: undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. "Really I've just got Ruiz and the Klitschkos on my radar. There is no one else right now who is out there who I am interested in."

Wladimir Klitschko defended his world title for the ninth time in Dusseldorf last weekend, against Eddie Chambers, felt by many to be America's No 1 heavyweight. Klitschko stopped the challenger with a left hook in the final round, but came in for some criticism for not stopping the challenger earlier, the Ukrainian having dominated conservatively from behind a ramrod jab.

"Wladimir Klitschko lacks the killer instinct to finish a fight, because he's scared of being hit. Once Ruiz is out of the way, I'm headed for the Klitschkos," Haye said.

Haye should be too young, too powerful and could stop Ruiz, but he must be wary too, of Ruiz's ability to punch at short range. But if Haye gets the job done impressively, a major fight with one of the Klitschkos will be on the cards later this year.

Haye-Ruiz will be shown live in HD on Sky Box Office next Saturday

Source: telegraph.co.uk