Boxing: Haye's trainer wary of threat posed by Ruiz

Haye defends the belt he seized from Nikolai Valuev in Nuremberg last November for the first time before a sell-out 20,000 crowd at the MEN Arena tomorrow night. The 29-year-old has refused to taunt Ruiz in the build-up to the fight, believing any insults designed to win the psychological battle would be wasted on the veteran American.

Ruiz is in great shape and Booth believes only Vitali Klitschko presents a similar challenge in the heavyweight division.

"Styles make fights and these styles will make a good fight. John is the hardest fight for David out there," said Booth. "The only fight I might compare it with is Vitali Klitschko, but there's no point talking about him.

"John is a seasoned and successful heavyweight. Somebody said to me the other day about John's age (38) and asked if his best days are behind him. But I've seen all the signs of a man who has a renewed vigour about himself. I believe John's worst days are behind him and his best days are now."

Booth expects the contest, which will see Haye target a 24th victory in 25 fights, to be a thriller. "Look at the obvious. This fight is between two guys who are in condition – one world heavyweight champion and a challenger who has been heavyweight champion twice before," he said.

"There's no trash talk because we don't need any. We're going to see one of the best fights that British boxing has seen in a long, long time. David has more respect for John than anyone he's boxed before. That's why there's no need for trash talk."

Ruiz has accumulated 44 wins in his 54-fight career and will leave nothing in the locker room as he seeks to be crowned world heavyweight champion for a third time. "This means a lot to me and I always put my life on the line. It's not just for myself – it's for my team and family as well," said Ruiz. "It's been a tough road. I've never taken the easy route. I've fought the tough guys and David Haye will be another tough opponent."