Haye leaves Germany empty-handed after Klitschko delivers masterful title defence

By Peter Higgs

David Haye's dream of ultimate heavyweight glory ended in frustrating disappointment in the rain in Hamburg.



The WBA world champion lost his title as he failed to live up to his pre-fight boasting - dismissed by his opponent as trashtalking - and left thousands of his travelling fans upset by a lacklustre performance against Wladimir Klitschko, who comfortably held on to his three titles with a unanimous points victory.

Haye later blamed a broken toe for his defeat, saying: 'I might not have been at my best but I gave it as much as I could. I couldn't push on my right leg. Something happened in training and I didn't want to pull out.



Belt up, Haye: Wladimir Klitschko celebrates after comfortably seeing off the Briton's challenge

'I broke my toe on my right foot. I couldn't push off the right foot to throw the right hand. I thought adrenaline would get me through it but it was tough. It's incredibly frustrating.'



All the predictions that these two heavy-handed champions would produce a spectacular contest proved wide of the mark as the fight evolved into a cagey encounter.

Haye had far too many problems keeping out of trouble to be able to land enough telling punches of his own as Klitschko's superior size and reach made all the difference.

Haye simply could not get past the piston-rod left hand and get going.



By the finish the judges had Klitschko well ahead on points, with one, Michael Pendrick of the US, giving Klitschko 10 of the 12 rounds in a score of 118-108.



Adalaide Byrd (US) scored the contest 117-109 with Stanley Christodoulou (South Africa) making it 116-110.

Early blow: David Haye hits Wladimir Klitschko in the first round

Haye will be upset that he should lose for only the second time in his professional career in what will probably be his last fight if he goes ahead with his promise to retire before his 31st birthday on October 13.



Any hope he had of fighting Klitschko's elder brother Vitali, holder of the WBC version of the title, would appear to be over.



The Klitschkos have done what they said they would do and closed the argument with the Bermondsey big mouth, whose two-year campaign of scandalous insults and bad taste came to a tame end.



As the rain had poured down, tentative plans by the organisers to delay the fight for 24 hours were quickly dismissed with a 50,000 crowd already filling the stadium.

No response: Wladimir Klitschko lands another shot on David Haye

Haye added to the pre-fight controversy by delaying his entrance to the ring by eight minutes. He eventually appeared, looking relaxed as he walked to the ring in the centre of the Imtech Arena, although he appeared to be jostled by some of the waiting fans.

But the contest began in a predictably cautious fashion with neither man able to impose himself. Klitschko, as expected, occupied the centre of the ring, keeping Haye at bay with his straight left jab.



Haye spent most of the first two rounds dodging out of range, throwing just occasional combinations.

Haye was scrambling on the canvas in the first round but American referee Genaro Rodriguez ruled a slip as the predominantly German crowd roared in expectation.

Down but not out: Klitschko was eventually penalised for pushing Haye to the ground

The action hotted up in the third with both men throwing combinations, first Haye driving the Ukrainian across the ring and then being on the receiving end as Klitschko forced the Londoner on to the ropes.

The 35-year-old Klitschko began to look more aggressive in the fourth and threw one of his trademark right crosses.

Haye swayed out of the way and took it as a glancing blow to the side of his head.



At this stage, the Briton was surviving well enough but, as in his victory over Nikolay Valuev in November 2009, was doing more defensive work than on the attack.

Too good: Wladimir Klitschko gets David Haye in the corner

Haye suffered his most difficult moment of the fight so far in round five when Klitschko at last got his combination of a straight left followed by a right cross to work well, landing the second punch flush on the Englishman's jaw, causing his knees to buckle. But as the Ukrainian moved in, Haye was alert enough to sway out of trouble.



During the first largely unimpressive six rounds, Haye was down four times but all were as a result of slips or stumbles, which referee Rodriguez ruled were not knockdowns.

Against expectations there was very little clinching or holding with the fight being conducted almost entirely at long range, which seemed to be to Klitschko's advantage.



The prediction by Haye's trainer, Adam Booth, that we would see something different to the stodgy points win over Valuev appeared to be no more than a ruse, as Haye repeatedly danced out of trouble, but did not throw enough punches. By halfway he was well behind.

Going down: Kiltschko wrestles Haye to the ground

But, in the seventh round, referee Rodriguez decided that Klitschko was illegally pushing Haye to the floor as the Londoner went to the canvas for a fifth time and deducted a point against the man from Kiev.

Although there had not been much evidence of holding by both men, it was still a disappointing fight at this stage and a few boos could be heard echoing round the arena as the crowd demanded more aggression.

As the fight approached the closing stages Haye was having continued trouble getting past the longer reach of his 6ft 6in opponent.



Wlad the impaler: Klitschko lands a jab

Although neither man was landing many telling blows, Klitschko was making most of the running as he continued to occupy the centre of the ring and plug forward relentlessly, tactics which kept earning him points against Haye's backward and more elusive style.

The number of times Haye had slipped, stumbled or been pushed over by his heavier opponent was nearing double figures at this stage.

It certainly did not help improve the spectacle, which failed to live up to the hype.

All Haye's attempts to goad Klitschko into a brawl appeared to have failed as the Ukrainian continued to fight a cautious, steady fight using his physical advantages.



Dr. Steelhammer: David Haye lost a points decision in Hamburg to Wladimir Klitschko

When Haye went to the floor again in the 11th round, the referee ruled that he had been knocked down by a legal punch, even though the Londoner shook his head and disputed the decision.

But Haye was forced to take a standing eight count. Needing a big last round, Haye could deliver only one piercing right hand to trouble Klitschko.

He simply could not get close enough to the bigger man.



At the final bell, both men raised their fists in triumph but neither had produced the fireworks expected. By then, though, Klitschko had it won easily.



