Booth Wonders if Haye Will Fade in Second Half With Bellew
By Edward Chaykovsky
Adam Booth trained two division world champion David Haye for the majority of his pro career.
Haye, 36-years-old, resumed his career last January after being inactive since July of 2012. Since returning, Haye has only had three one-sided rounds in the ring.
The London fighter, now trained by Shane McGuigan, will return to the ring on Saturday night at the O2 Arena, in a real grudge match against WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew, who moves up to the heavyweight division to take the fight.
Haye's age, combined with his inactivity and lack of ring time since returning, is a big concern for Booth.
For the record, Booth is picking Haye to win by knockout - but the veteran trainer is not as confident if the contest makes it to the second half.
Bellew has made similar predictions in recent weeks. If he's capable of weathering the early storm from Haye's heavy hands, Bellew believes the former world champion will physically fall apart in the second half of the contest.
"It [his prediction] has to be David Haye, because I've been his coach since he was 16 up to the age of 30-whatever so if I don't pick him now, it will just look like I'm being bitter," Booth told Sky Sports. "He is very, very heavy handed and we don't know how much fight he has in him, and he won't know until he actually gets tested - especially with his injuries.
"If you are putting smart money on it, you'd have to pick David to win early, but if Tony can cope with that heavy-handedness and drag him into a fight after the mid-stage... Tony is battle-hardened over the past few years, whereas David has probably become battle-softened and the second half could expose that.
"It's definitely a fight of Haye's heavy-handedness and sharp-shooting style, getting to grips with it early and winning, or can Bellew withstand that assault - what is going to get slung on him - and drag it into a dogfight in the second half?"
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Booth Wonders if Haye Will Fade in Second Half With Bellew - Boxing News