David Haye admits he would have ‘swerved’ nightmare fight with Fabio Wardley in his prime

Boxing fans are obsessed with past and present matchups.

It is the single biggest driver of interaction on any online forum dedicated to the sweet science.

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One hypothetical clash that has been gaining traction lately is a bout between two-weight world champion David Haye and reigning WBO heavyweight titlist Fabio Wardley.

Of course, ‘The Hayemaker’s’ best years were spent at cruiserweight, where he unified three of the four 200lbs world titles.

But he also enjoyed a fruitful stint in boxing’s glamour division, picking up the WBA heavyweight crown in 2009 by slaying 7ft giant Nikolai Valuev in Nuremberg.

If both men had competed in the same era, Haye-Wardley would have been a box office attraction between two devastating knockout artists.

He’s a Fab fighter

However, as Haye candidly admits during an interview with talkSPORT.com, it’s probably a fight he would have ‘swerved’ altogether.

“It would have been very, very tough,” said Haye.

“Wardley’s got a style I wouldn’t have ideally liked to have fought. 

“He can take a shot as well. Whether I could take him out with one shot remains to be seen.

“He’s shown he can take world-class heavyweight punch power, and it bounces off of him.

“If I were to have fought Wardley, I would have tried to outpoint him.

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“I would have realised that by trying to knock him out, you’re going to gas yourself out, and he’s going to come on strong late.

“So I would have strategically tried to win seven of the 12 rounds because trying to go toe-to-toe with Wardley, yeah, I may land some big shots on him.

“But he’ll still be standing, and he’ll be swinging back, and he’s a lot bigger than me, he’s strong, he’s hard.

“So yeah, I probably would have swerved someone with his style because it’s hard to prepare for someone like that, who has such an unorthodox style.

“He didn’t have that amateur pedigree where you can understand what punches he’s going to throw at what times.

“He’s developed his own unique style, and it’s very difficult to prepare for such an awkward style.”

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David Haye breaks down Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois

Haye is intrigued to see whether Dubois can ‘crack’ the Wardley code when they lock horns in Manchester.

Speaking ahead of an exclusive appearance at Paddy’s Sportsbook at The Hippodrome Casino for the all-British WBO world heavyweight title clash on Saturday night, Haye added: “[Wardley] has shown a resilience that I haven’t seen in Daniel Dubois.

“He’s taken more punishment than Daniel Dubois and has found a way to win.

“I’ve seen Daniel Dubois take punishment, and he’s ended up losing the fight.

“There are more questions around Daniel’s heart than there are around Wardley’s.

“Dubois will have to decrypt Wardley with his skills because he has shown that he won’t be put away easily.

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“[Justis] Huni, who is a very educated fighter with a great amateur pedigree, was able to hit Wardley and avoid the punches.

“But Wardley refused to quit, and refused to be disheartened and kept on grinding until he found the shot [to knock him out].”