2 Jul 2011

Haye v Klitschko unification fight one-way traffic: Tyson

6:12 pm on 2 July 2011

Boxing legend Mike Tyson is backing Wladimir Klitschko to knock out Britain's David Haye in Sunday's heavyweight unification bout and says the brash Brit lacks the fire-power to claim victory.

The IBF, WBA, WBO, IBO heavyweight titles go on the line in Hamburg with the 35-year-old Klitschko, the IBF, IBO and WBO heavyweight champion, takes on WBA title-holder David Haye in Hamburg and boxing legend Tyson says the Ukrainian can knock the Brit out inside three rounds.

Tyson, a former WBO, WBC and IBF champion, says Haye has never shown the punching power to force a guy of the calibre of Klitschko into reverse gear, and Haye doesn't hit hard enough to get the respect of Klitschko.

More than 1,000 fans turned up for Friday afternoon's weigh-in in Hamburg, where Klitschko tipped the scales at 110 kilogrammes - significantly more than Haye's 96.5 kilos.

Klitschko has won 55 of his 58 bouts, while most of Haye's 25 wins from 26 fights have come at cruiserweight after he stepped up to heavyweight in 2008.

Both fights suffered their last defeat back in 2004, but if Klitschko wins to claim Haye's WBA belt, it will be the first time in history one family has held all four major belts as brother Vitali is the WBC champion.