Haye v Harrison is just a battle of the bigmouths

British heavyweight boxers David Haye and Audley Harrison will battle it out for the WBA title on Saturday night in a bout that has been widely decried by boxing purists, and is unlikely to produce a satisfactory outcome for fight fans.
 
The build-up to the clash between the former sparring partners, who now obviously loathe each other, has featured plenty of trash talk and there is no doubt that the punches thrown on Saturday at the MEN Arena in Manchester will be heartfelt. But while the hype should generate a decent audience for the fight in Britain, it has little significance for the heavyweight division and for boxing in general.
 
Though Haye is regarded as a credible world champion, he has consistently managed to avoid fighting Wladimir or Vitali Klitschko, the Ukrainian brothers who dominate the heavyweight scene, and until he enters the ring against one of them there will be question marks over his ability. Saturday's fight against Harrison has personal significance but little else. Indeed, Haye has spent much of the build-up going on about how poor and decrepit Harrison is.
 
That is an assessment most boxing fans would agree with. Harrison still calls himself 'A-Force' but is more commonly known as Audrey, Ordinary, Fraudley or A-Farce. He won Olympic gold in 2000 and subsequently promised global domination. But that was before he fought a succession of nobodies, few of whom he ever looked convincing against. After almost a decade of under-achievement, his box office appeal fizzled out and his career appeared over when he lost to Belfast taxi driver Martin Rogan in 2008.
 
Despite that setback he fought back and now has his first tilt at a respected heavyweight title. He also still has a good line in hyperbole. "This is becoming a moral story. I'm fighting for my destiny, my vision. [Haye] is fighting for money," he said recently.
 
The problem is that Harrison's reputation is so tarnished that even if he does fulfill his "destiny" and beat Haye, few will change their opinion of him, or expect him to hold the title for long.
 
As for Haye, he has made it his aim to "finally destroy" Harrison. "The fight will be a public execution," he declared. On an even less pleasant note he suggested the bout would be "like gang rape".

The truth is, Haye should win this fight easily. Coupled with the fact that both men have said they intend to retire within the next 12 months, it's hardly surprising the boxing world is treating the bout with indifference.

Veteran boxing promoter Barry Hearn explains: "This is a fight for people who don't go to boxing. The reason the average man in the street wants to see this one is that both boxers have a big mouth and they have very high opinions of themselves. A lot of people might say without justification, and I might be one of them. But this fight sells." ·