For a brief moment in time, David Haye was the best boxer in the world. Boxing was at a standstill when ‘Hayemaker’ seemingly did the impossible and wrestled the WBA heavyweight title from the grasp of Nikolai Valuev on a cold and dreary night at the Nuremberg Arena in Germany.
In more ways than one, to the naked eye, they appeared to be polar opposites; Haye, the cocky, arrogant British heavyweight; Valuev, the hulking, menacing Russian straight out of a James Bond movie. But dig a little deeper and the differences start to fade as the similarities become more and more obvious with each passing year.
We take a look at exactly how the British fighter pulled off the mean feat of slaying the giant, which changed both fighters’ careers forever in the biggest example of a David vs Goliath battle ever.
David Haye’s Famous Win over Nikolai Valuev Revisited
Both fighters only had one loss on their records at the time, with Haye losing to Carl Thompson in 2004 via TKO and Valuev losing to Ruslan Chagaev in 2007 via majority decision. Most importantly, though, they found themselves thrown in the ring together, motivated by a single common goal – to become ‘the heavyweight champion of the world’ by any means necessary.
Haye, who was 29 and in the prime of his career at the time, was well aware of the dangers he faced in the build-up to the fight billed simply as ‘David vs. Goliath’. No other words would have done it justice. But despite breaking his hand in the second round, and having to be aggressive and throw looping shots to even come close to slaying the giant, what he was able to do on the night was simply incredible.
Valuev was able to control parts of the fight using his rangy jab and monstrous size difference, but Haye was no stranger to adversity and even rocked his rival with a booming shot which many had failed to do before. ‘Hayemaker’ then came through on the judges’ scorecards, prevailing by majority decision.
The news was huge both in the sport of boxing, and outside in the mainstream world, where even the more casual fan was left stunned by his ability to overcome the looming silhouette of the Russian.
Haye became the WBA champion with the remarkable win, making it one of the biggest upsets in boxing history, and achieved his dream of conquering the blue ribbon division, while proving that size really doesn’t matter. Meanwhile, it was a bitter blow for Valuev, for whom you immediately felt it was a dagger in his side, having risen to the top and towered over most who came across him.
David Haye Recalls Famous Night
It was a night of passion, celebration, and jubilation for Haye, who was left with the world at his feet after the phenomenal achievement, which saw him become a world champion in a second weight class.
From his perspective, it was a daunting task, but one he accepted with bravery and courage, even on foreign soil. It was one of the most famous nights on the British boxing calendar, and he has explained exactly how he did it several years later.
“My memories of the night are still vivid,” he told The Independent in 2019. “Memories of walking to the ring knowing that this is it. I’m going to be heavyweight champion of the world. The doubts creep into the back of your mind. Am I mad? I broke my hand in round two. A big overhand right. This guy had a rock solid jaw and I broke my knuckle on his jaw.
“In the last round, I nearly knocked him down to really solidify my points victory, but to get a victory on foreign soil against a guy that was promoted by Don King, who had a German promotion team, in Germany… any kind of decision that was remotely close would have gone in his favour, so I really had to go above and beyond with my tactics, making sure that he didn’t land any significant blows.”
David Haye’s Career After Beating Nikolai Valuev
The British star was in the prime of his life and his winning streak continued, as he defeated both John Ruiz and domestic rival Audley Harrison in successful defences of his WBA strap, which led to his big opportunity against Wladimir Klitschko.
The Ukrainian held the other belts and was looking to unify the division, which he did in dominant fashion, outboxing Haye by unanimous decision to snatch away the WBA crown he had earned so valiantly.
Despite his big opportunity failing to provide more history in the books, he continued to fight and bounced back with three consecutive wins, including a comeback victory over battle-hardened Derek Chisora, after one of the wildest press conferences in boxing history. But his real tests came in the final two fights of his career in high-profile showdowns with Tony Bellew. In both encounters, he was stopped by the Merseyside fighter, although he suffered a horrific Achilles injury in their first meeting.
Nikolai Valuev Downfall After David Haye Defeat
It was a bitter pill to swallow for Valuev, who had suffered a second career defeat in his 52nd fight, although it initially appeared that he would continue fighting on despite losing his WBA belt.
Unfortunately, it was not to be for the Russian, who, despite trying to be convinced by the likes of Klitschko and more to return, was eventually left unable to after discovering a benign brain tumour which saw him hang up his gloves for good.
Nonetheless, it was a stellar career at the top for Valuev, who had shown real dominance, beating the likes of Evander Holyfield and John Ruiz, but he was denied his opportunity to ever step in the ring with the Ukrainian Klitschko.
He has since been involved in Russian politics since 2011 and entered the Russian Parliament as an MP in 2011 following his final fight two years prior.
More recently, he was drafted by president Vladimir Putin to help with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but was rushed to hospital with a leg injury which prevented him from joining up. It is unclear if he did eventually take part, but health concerns have often plagued the life of the talented boxer.
