David Haye Is Ready to Return, but the Hype Has Already Faded

Boxing fans had hope for David Haye. As he began to heat up the war of words with Wladimir Klitschko in April, it finally looked like there was a heavyweight title match worth getting excited about. For a fleeting moment, Haye reminded us that, yes, heavyweights can still have star appeal and charisma.

Then something all too familiar struck: disappointment.

Just weeks before he was scheduled to battle Klitschko in what "Dr. Steelhammer" promised to be a long and brutal fight, Haye pulled out, citing a back injury sustained in training.

Seriously?

"I am very disappointed that the fight got canceled," said Klitschko. "I was really looking forward to fight night."

Suddenly, all of Haye's smack talk and chatter sounded like white noise.

The strutting around with his cowboy hat and cocky grin. The antics that seemed borrowed the Vince McMahon playbook, like challenging Klitschko head-to-head on a shopping mall staircase. Even wearing a cartoonish T-shirt to a press conference just to get under his opponent's skin.

Personality. Drama. And, unfortunately, nothing but hype.

Klitschko found a replacement opponent in Ruslan Chagaev and dispensed of him with ease in front of 61,000 German onlookers at Veltins Arena. Meanwhile, most of us didn't even know what channel the fight was on. (It turned out to be ESPN Classic, of all places.) At least Boris Becker was thrilled, right?

A month removed from that debacle, Haye claims he's ready to resume full training, with his next bout planned for September -- presumably against a Klitschko not named Wladimir. "As long as it's one of them, I don't mind because they are the best heavyweights in the world, along with myself," said Haye.

Wrong. A 2-0 heavyweight record while missing out on the most anticipated fight of your career does not make you one of the best. Until we see something more out of Haye than just chatter, he's nothing beyond a showman.

So here's to an inevitable Haye vs. Vitali Klitschko bout in September. And here's to wanting Haye to do something to revive the monotonous pulse of the heavyweight division. But the reality is many fans are already through with waiting.