• Heavyweight

Haye: Mayweather in different league to Klitschko

David Haye rejects the suggestion that Floyd Mayweather Jr and Wladimir Klitschko are forming similar legacies, insisting the American fights the best names in the business.

Haye watched Klitschko ease past another title challenger against Francesco Pianeta on Saturday, chalking up his 18th straight win. Hours later Mayweather took a predictable decision over Robert Guerrero, but Haye insists the pair are different.

Since beating the Brit in 2011 Klitschko has shared a ring with Jean Marc-Mormeck, Tony Thompson, Mariusz Wach and Pianeta, whereas Mayweather's last four fights have seen him meet Shane Mosley, Victor Ortiz, Miguel Cotto and Guerrero.

"The difference is that Mayweather fights the best out there consistently," Haye told Buncey's Boxing Podcast on ESPN. "Cotto… this guy here Guerrero, was no joke. This was a serious guy, I actually had people, respected people telling me they thought he had a shot.

"Every time Mayweather has a fight people actually say that. They say, 'this could be the fight that Mayweather gets old overnight, this guy has a chance'. And every time after the fight it's like 'OK, this guy didn't have a chance'. It's exciting.

"Before this fight there was an element of excitement. The crowd was buzzing but at a Klitschko fight it's the complete opposite. Everybody knows what the result's going to be and it's about when Wladimir decides to start throwing his right hand with some mean intentions and then the fight is over."

Haye, who criticised Klitschko on the night of the fight for dragging his contests out in order to earn sponsorship money, insisted Pianeta stood "zero chance" of beating the Ukrainian.

"I looked through his record and the standout name, the name that jumped out at me was his 23rd fight," Haye said of Pianeta. "It was none other than Mike Middleton, the guy Audley Harrison had as his debut opponent.

"But these are the type of names that this guy's padded his record out with. Although he was undefeated he had a draw and that was to Albert Sanofski so I think that lets you know the guy's calibre.

"He had zero chance of winning. He was there to make up the numbers and the Klitschko train keeps rolling on. He could have another 200 of these types of fights, he could have one a week if he wanted to.

"He picks up €4 or €5 million for an event like that. The German people seemed happy, no one was booing, so while there are people handing over their hard earned money for it, he's going to keep piling it on."

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