Boxing: Haye insists he will treat Chisora like a ‘slab of meat’

DAVID Haye insists the hatred of Dereck Chisora that has fuelled his training camp will be replaced by cold-hearted professionalism tonight.

Five months of controversy, hearings, legal challenges and 
insults will come to an end when the sworn enemies collide in a fight that excites and repels in equal measure. The shameful brawl in Munich that disgraced British boxing initiated a feud that will finally be settled at Upton Park, despite strong moral objections.

The hostility between the two is genuine and for Haye, who will enter the ten-round contest as the odds-on favourite, the challenge is keeping his temper in check. “It’s fair to say I really don’t like Chisora – I fought him for free in February – but there will be no emotion in the fight,” he said. “The fact I hate the guy so much has driven me on in training, but when it comes to fight night he must be seen as a slab of meat who will get pounded on, just like any other.

“Chisora’s got one hell of a beating coming. I was looking at him this week and I can’t want to put my fists in his face. He’s not a nice guy and is someone who needs to be taught a lesson. I’ll teach him because he’s an idiot.”

Haye will be conceding two and a half stones to Chisora, but mocks the conditioning of the 28-year-old, who looked fleshy at the weigh-in.

“Chisora’s horrible to look at. You want to see an athlete in his physical prime, but he’s never looked in his physical prime,” he said. “He always looks like he’s skipped too many sessions or eaten too many Burger Kings. He will be weighed down by the excess fat hanging from his neck, arms, midriff and legs.”

In Las Vegas, meanwhile, Amir Khan expects to prove himself as the best light-welterweight on the planet tonight before setting his sights on pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather.

The 25-year-old Briton, who was reinstated as WBA champion this week, takes on WBC holder Danny Garcia in a unification bout which will see the winner crowned Ring magazine champion too.

Khan then plans to move up to welterweight and take on American superstar Mayweather. First, though, Khan must get the win against the unbeaten Garcia. “This is my chance to prove once and for all that I’m the best in the division,” said Khan.

“I can win the WBC title tomorrow and will have held three of the four belts in the light-welterweight division, so it’s time to move up to 147lbs. I want to be in big world title fights and in big fights with the likes of Mayweather.

“To do that, I need to be up in that division.”