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My legacy rests entirely on Klitschko fight - Haye

David Haye vows to 'knock Klitschko's head off' © Getty Images

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• Profile: David Haye | Wladimir Klitschko

David Haye fully accepts that he will be remembered as a failure if he cannot beat Wladimir Klitschko in what he labels his "career defining fight".

Haye is just one week away from his heavyweight unification bout with Klitschko, a fight that has been two years in the making. The WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO belts are all on the line, for what is arguably the biggest boxing match involving a Brit for a decade.

The very fact that Haye has successfully stepped up from cruiserweight to become a world heavyweight champion is far more than many achieve in their careers. The Nikolai Valuev victory was an epic feat, mostly due to Valuev's size, but that will be eclipsed by what takes place at the Imtech Arena.

Haye is still convinced he will retire on his 31st birthday, on October 13, so unless he undergoes a change of heart in order to fight Wladimir's brother Vitali, the Hayemaker knows he will be remembered either as a glorious success story, or as an opinionated cruiserweight who bit off more than he could chew.

"This is it, this is my career-defining fight. I had the big one against Nikolai Valuev and took his titles," Haye said. "There's more at stake in this one, I'll take his belts which will be a dream come true. It will be the perfect way to go out.

"Without a doubt this is my legacy-deciding fight, this is the one I'll be remembered for in years to come. This is Wladimir's defining fight as well as mine, so I expect him to be at his best. There's a lot on the line for both fighters.

"Klitschko is by far the greatest challenge I've faced. I've never met anyone with his attributes before. I've fought big guys before, but this guy is faster, more accomplished and has a lot of belts. It will take nothing less than a perfect performance to beat him."

Haye will give away a significant height and reach advantage against the Ukrainian, but he is convinced his pace and execution can prove pivotal.

"I'm training to be faster, more athletic and punch harder than ever before," Haye said. "I know that if I don't do that then things could go wrong. But I'm making sure all angles are covered in the gym. Come fight night on July 2, I'm going to take his head off.

"Wladimir has a lot of speed and a lot of athleticism for a big guy. Rarely do you get someone as big as him being as athletic. Usually the big guys are slow and ponderous. But I'm faster than him, punch harder and have greater punch variety.

"He's been knocked down in the past, but whether or not he's chinny I'll find out. If he is, he'll come unstuck pretty soon. I guarantee that I will land on his chin at some stage of the fight.

"He won't know what happened to him."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.