Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather must happen says WBA heavyweight champ David Haye

David Haye has revealed to The Telegraph that he had been intending to go to the defunct March fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, and was desperately disappointed when the superfight failed to materialise.

Haye, holder of the World Boxing Association heavyweight crown, believes that the contest between Pacquiao, currently running for election in the May 10 Congressional Seat elections in the province of Sarangani, and Mayweather must go ahead later this year – for the good of boxing worldwide.

Mayweather must first defeat Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas on Saturday week, for that to become a reality. The landscape may also change if Pacquiao is successful in the election, 19 days away.

“It is definitely a fight which needs to happen, for the state of boxing. It is one that has to be made. I was itching to see that fight, and was ready to go over for it at one point,” Haye told me. ” When they made the fight so quickly, over a week of news in December [last year], I couldn’t help feeling that someone would find a way for it not to happen.”

“With fights as big as that, there is always some drama. What has happened could hype the whole situation just to make it even bigger later this year or next year. I’m desperate to watch that fight. The skill levels of the two fighters make it unmissable. I truly enjoy watching Pacquiao fight whenever he steps into a ring. I admire boxers who come to fight, and he is thrilling when he steps inside the ropes. He is an ambassador for the sport. That fight has to be made. It is a massive fight that has to happen soon or later. Clottey was a tough fight, but the hype and build up around a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight could create the fight of a generation.”

It is also the type of hype which could surround a Haye-Klitschko contest, but Adam Booth, Haye’s trainer, revealed to me yesterday that no negotiations are set to take place for at least a month.

Meanwhile, Craig McEwan, the Scottish middleweight who trains under Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, has revealed it was he who taught Pacquiao his convincing Scottish accent.

I was fortunate enough to gain exclusive access to travel from London to Manchester on the train last year in the build-up to Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton, with the Filipino fighter’s entourage (which included Bob Arum and Richard Schaefer that day), and filmed/interviewed Pacman on the train.

In the first minute of the interview, he emerged, surprisingly, with a convincingly strong Scottish accent. In conversation with McEwan (record 18-0, and four years with Roach at the Wild Card), the Edinburgh man revealed to me recently that he had been coaching Pacman on his Scots burr.

“We were in the gym one day, and I taught him the stuff about William Wallace. Then we were away talking about the Scots fighting for their freedom against the English. He’s a fast learner, and aye, it was a wee bit of fun. I saw the video last year, and thought…oh yes, that’s Manny, down to a tee. He’s so funny. I even got him a ‘See You Jimmy’ hat after that and I have a photo of him with it on.”

McEwan also explained that he is gaining invaluable experience rubbing shoulders with Pacquiao in the gym. “He has great footwork…just look at how he knocked Ricky Hatton out, by switching his feet, and throwing those devastating punches. I like seeing how he lets his combinations go, and I try to follow that. I’m tall and rangy and he is short and explosive with a lot of power, but it never hurts to pick things up from the best. It’s all about adapting things, really. I go running with him, too. The Wild Card is a great place to be any time, but when Manny is there in camp, it is always a lift.”

Author: Gareth A Davies

Source: blogs.telegraph.co.uk