Issue 040

August 2008

How MMA and boxing can co-exist thanks to a new generation of versatile fighters.

Contrary to popular belief, multi-tasking in the sporting arena is nothing new. Ever hear the one about the British World War I veteran who captained Manchester City football club, won an Olympic gold medal in tennis, was a Davis Cup captain in golf and scored a cricket century at Lords? His name was Max Woosnam and it’s not a joke – there’s no punch line to this story. Woosnam was also a dab-hand at table tennis (even beating Charlie Chaplin with the use of only a butter knife) and, as he relaxed back into the armchair of well-earned retirement, Max decided to give snooker a bash and ended up hitting the maximum score of 147.

With a little way to go before he matches Woosnam’s versatility, cruiserweight boxer David ‘The Hayemaker’ Haye is a man who also likes to branch out across the sporting spectrum with similar abandonment. Always willing to try new training methods, Haye, the current WBC, WBA and WBO world champion, excelled at fencing earlier in the year. “Everyone was really shocked at how good I was at it,” laughed Haye. “The guy I was fencing was an Olympic-level operator and he couldn’t believe the things I was doing to him.”

Another sport incorporated into Haye’s vast and varied training regime is MMA. A student of all things combat, Haye realises and appreciates the benefits of both boxing and MMA. “I’ve done MMA training in the past simply because it’s tough and is something I wouldn’t normally do on a daily basis,” explained the 27-year-old champ. 

“I can do 12 rounds of boxing sparring standing on my head – and wouldn’t be out of breath. Yet I could grapple with someone for five minutes and I’d be completely shattered. You use different energy systems for both sports. The more you practice both disciplines the fitter you are going to be, in all departments.”

From talking to Haye, you quickly get the feeling this interest in MMA isn’t a passing fling. “I would do a lot more MMA training but, because of stuff like arm-bars and kicks, it’s dangerous for me as a boxer,” added Haye. “I can’t do too much of it because there are tens of millions of dollars at stake in my boxing career. I can’t afford to get cut or worse because of MMA training.

“I’m a natural boxer – I’ve been doing it since I was 10. I know how to box with my eyes closed and avoid getting injured. However, if I’m doing jiu-jitsu with someone who is an expert in the field the likelihood is I’ll get put in a position that could jeopardise my boxing career. I don’t claim to be an expert of MMA, but it’s definitely something I’d like to train more in once my boxing career is finished.” 

Herein lies the juicy intrigue in Haye’s comments. Currently on top of the boxing world, Haye has vowed to wash his hands with boxing by the time he heads into his thirties. That gives him plenty of time for other pursuits. One of which, serious MMA competition, is something high on the Londoner’s ‘to do’ list.

“Once my boxing career is over – in two or three years – MMA is definitely something I’ll look to jump into with both hands and feet,” revealed Haye, 21-1 (20 KOs) as a boxer. “I’ve already got a grounding in the sport, and have been working on the foundations for around six years now. The kicking side of things comes fairly naturally to me as I did kickboxing before boxing. Let’s be honest, though, the two sports – boxing and MMA - are incomparable. Fencing shares more similarities with boxing than MMA does. You can’t make the jump between sports half-heartedly.”  

Upon hearing the names of other high-profile boxers who have attempted to cross the bridge to MMA, Haye is as quick to shoot down such comparisons as he is letting his hands go in combat. 

“I wouldn’t do a Ray Mercer and just turn up for a pay check,” Haye interrupted, referring to the aging boxer’s turn against Kimbo in 2007. “I would take the same attitude I have for boxing to the Octagon. If I were going to do this thing I’d want to do it properly and win everything in sight. Money wouldn’t even be an issue. That’s the last thing I’d do it for. It would be all about the challenge. 

“I’d probably even have three or four low-key MMA fights away from the public eye. I’d pay three opponents a win bonus of, say $20,000 dollars, to come to my gym and try and submit me behind closed doors. That way I’d be able to discover any weaknesses in my game and make sure I was 100% ready for the bigger stage. I wouldn’t go in there blind and make a fool of myself like some other boxers do. I’d only do it if I was confident of becoming the best in the world.”

Now based in North Cyprus, Haye first familiarised himself with the world of MMA at London’s Third Space gym. While Haye would be firing rapid combinations on the speed ball or heavy bag, a couple of doors down leading British mixed martial artists would be honing their takedown defence and submission skills. An interested observer to begin with, Haye quickly caught the bug.  

“Like most people, I thought it would be easy,” chuckled Haye. “I’ve always been a naturally gifted boxer, but I was a lot worse than I thought I would be at MMA. It was a completely new experience for me and one that I wanted to learn and get better at.”

Lesson one commenced and Haye quickly discovered that the smaller gloves, so often cited as an advantage to a heavy-handed boxer, are anything but. 

“The small gloves are actually a disadvantage because boxers are used to bandaging their hands and having bigger gloves,” Haye explained. “Also, when someone’s trying to take you down they only offer the top of their head to hit, so it’s very difficult to nail someone on the chin unless you throw an uppercut. If you’re hitting away at the top of someone’s head with those tiny gloves the likelihood is you’re going to severely damage your hand. That means you’re then going to have to take the power out of your shot. I used to practice with 18 ounce gloves so that I wouldn’t smash my hands to bits and hurt the other guys.”

The gloves are momentarily put away then. Next up: the takedown. Eager to dispute the misconception that all a world-class boxer has to do is punch and a MMA fighter would fold quicker than Butterbean’s deckchair, Haye possesses first hand proof to oppose the view.

“A traditional boxer can’t get off with the same punches he’d be able to throw in a boxing match”, said Haye. “You have to consider getting hit with fists, legs and takedowns. Balance-wise, and in terms of leverage, the two styles of punching are completely different. In MMA, you’re always moving and changing angles to avoid shots, clinches or takedowns. That automatically takes away the balance and the moment to set you’d need as a boxer. 

“Unless you adapt to the kind of stand-up needed in MMA, you’ll get taken down as soon as you set your feet to throw a big shot. A boxer wouldn’t be as effective punching-wise in an MMA contest as he would in a boxing ring. A lot of boxers don’t realise that and think they can just turn up and bomb the MMA guy out. While there’s always the chance of that happening, it’s only a slim chance.”  

‘The Hayemaker’ continued: “I’d sometimes play games with the MMA guys down the gym where I’d attempt to get off a clean shot before they could take me down. They would usually take me down eight times out of 10. I’d land my shot only twice in 10 attempts. As I’ve practiced with these guys over the years I’ve now reversed that ratio and am able to get my punches off around eight times out of 10. I’m only being taken down two times in the 10 times we’d stand up. It’s taken me over six years to eventually achieve that and I believe many people would be surprised at the takedown defence I’ve managed to learn during those six years of people shooting at me.”

Six years in the making, Haye explains how his hypothetical MMA fighting stance would be “completely different to the way I box as a pro boxer”. He says it would “resemble more of a kick-boxer’s stance” and that there’d be “less emphasis on getting heavy on the front leg”. Always seeking a new challenge, you quickly realise Haye’s visualised himself doing this for real.

“Mixed martial arts promote the thing that boxing, in general, doesn’t want to do, and that’s put on exciting and competitive fights – plain and simple,” continued Haye. 

“I definitely feel the rise of MMA, and especially the UFC – particularly with the pay per view market – has forced boxing to up its game. Oscar De La Hoya had to fight Floyd Mayweather. Floyd Mayweather had to fight Ricky Hatton. These guys had to get together or else boxing would play second fiddle to the UFC in terms of pay per view buys and interest from the general public. The nature of television allows sport fans to change the channel if they don’t like something. If they don’t like what boxing offers, they’ll change the channel and order the UFC or some other MMA event.”

Taking the visualisation process a step further, Haye reveals that should his dream come to fruition he’d fight as a heavyweight and win the UFC title. Though his eyes are firmly set on the heavyweight boxing prize first, Haye still affords himself more than a passing interest in the current state of MMA.

“Anderson Silva and Wanderlei Silva are my favourites because they mainly stand up and strike,” said Haye. “Their striking skills are really impressive and they both bring a lot of flavour to MMA. Randy Couture is also one of my favourites. He’s an incredible athlete and to achieve what he has at his age is a testament to what a good-living, clean-cut athlete he is. He’s a good role model for the sport. Fedor Emelianenko would be a handful no matter what sport he did. He’s a monster and one of the toughest bastards I’ve ever seen in any ring.” 

Ever hear the one about the world heavyweight champion boxer who came out of retirement to win the UFC heavyweight title? Nah, me neither – but David Haye’s working on the punch line – in more ways than one.