Nick Westby: Bigger man Klitschko teaches crass Haye a lesson in humility

Not so much for the absence of any threat he carried in the ring in the biggest fight of his career, nor for the excuse he came up with the minute the final bell had rung – though both are actions he should not be proud of – but his main regret this morning should be his actions in the build-up to the fight.

The knockout iPod app, the t-shirt depicting him decapitating Wladimir Klitschko, the insults, the rhetoric, the slurs; all of which were ill-advised and crassly executed by the cocky Londoner.

Granted, a boxer’s job is about more than winning bouts and belts, it’s about selling those fights to the paying public.

The line between the two, though, was somehow blurred along the way for Haye, who overstepped the mark.

Put simply, Klitschko was the better man inside and outside the ring.

The younger Ukrainian sibling may not have the charisma the heavyweight division so badly needs to re-energise the sport, but what he does have is intelligence and good grace, all of which is backed up by 6ft 7in of pure muscle and toned athleticism.

In boxing’s desperate search for a leading light of its flagship class – a Muhammed Ali or a Mike Tyson of the generation who can inspire with his fighting and entertain with his actions outside the ring – Haye was the annointed king.

More self-annointed than anything, but he certainly knew how to market himself and sell his fights.

His remorseless attempts to undermine Klitschko, belittle him and embarrass the bigger man, backfired badly.

Even in the wake of his 12-round destruction at the end of the eastern European’s relentless and decisive jab in rainy Hamburg on Saturday night, Haye still lacked the humility to accept defeat graciously.

The blame for the loss and his lack of attacking intent lay squarely on a toe he had broken three weeks ago, which prevented him sparring and propelling himself forward to land his big right hook when it mattered most in the 12 rounds of the unification fight.

A broken toe does affect a boxer’s balance.

But surely if he was so worried about it, why did he not pull out?

Was it pride? The feelings of the fans, some 10-15,000 who made the journey to Germany?

Why, if secretly he knew he would be hampered in the fight, did he attack Klitschko in the run-up in such a vulger and ungentlemanly manner.

And why did Adam Booth and Haye’s team allow him to do so? To market the fight?

In an era of Sky Sports News breaking decibel levels to announce the arrival of a second-tier footballer at an airport – is there any real need for such rhetoric?

The fight of the decade was how some television announces were billing it; much to the amusement no boubt of boxers like Roy Jones Jr, Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya, Joe Calzaghe and Ricky Hatton, who have more reason to claim a part in recent fights of the decade.

There are a lot of people reaching for the hankies to wipe egg off their faces this morning.

The media is culpable for giving these over-hyped, over-paid egotists such unnecessary exposure.

Had we not learned from the Haye-Audley Harrison supposed ‘Battle of Britain’ earlier this year that these fights never live up to their billing?

Days spent at Harrison’s American training camp, reporting on how the Olympic gold medallist, finally, 11 years later, was reaching his peak, seemed a cause for much embarrassment when Harrison failed to throw a punch in three rounds.

Haye was the aggressor that night, but on Saturday, he was the in the Harrison role, powerless to stop the advancing Ukrainian.

At times, Saturday’s bout resembled the scene in the school playground, the tall pupil holding the forehead of the younger boy and letting him swipe away at fresh air inches from his body.

Fight of the decade? Rubbish.

It makes a relatively young sports fan like this correspondent yearn for a sport of boxing to be excited about.

Consigned to footage on ESPN Classic are the days of Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman; the explosive middleweight division of Thomas Hearns, Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran.

There are the inspirational stories to get excited about; Carl Froch in particular, and Sheffield’s undefeated Kell Brook who is chasing the big prizes in the welterweight division.

But the heavyweight division is boxing’s showpiece to the world, and fights like that, performances on both sides of the canvas like the one we witnessed in Germany from Haye, do nothing to endear fans to the game.

Haye will now decide whether he still plans to retire in October. If he goes out like this, images of a brilliant cruiserweight will be replaced by a boxer and a man out of his depth in the heavyweight division.

Haye earned an estimated £9m last year, a staggering amount in an over-inflated market place when compared to the more modest exposure and earnings of a young man like Yorkshire’s Alistair Brownlee, a phenomenal athlete who is the best in the world in triathlon, a sport where no words are ever required, just deeds.

When Klitschko was tasked with both words and deeds, he proved to be Haye’s master.

After a dominant victory he resisted the urge to throw Haye’s taunts back in the Briton’s face.

There was no crowing, just a chiding of Haye for his antics beforehand which the Ukrainian labelled a ‘disappointment’.

He also delivered his post-fight verdict in three languages.

Klitschko was the better man and the better boxer.

Haye was found wanting in both departments.

Turn inspiration into playing

There is an antidote to the post-Wimbledon blues – a trip to Ilkley.

The north Yorkshire spa town hosts the Ilkley Tennis Tournament on the Futures Tour this week, a tournament that is on the third rung of the international circuit.

No Federer, Nadal, Djokovic or Murray, but promising young players of the future, among them Liam Broady following his run to the junior Wimbledon final.

Sixty-four players competing on 14 grass courts at the Ilkley lawn Tennis and Squash Club and free of charge for punters.

So that’s watching tennis, what about playing now we’ve all been bitten by the Wimbledon bug this past fortnight.

An elitist sport one might think but there are 2,000 members at Ilkley, 500 of which are juniors signed up to the club’s youth programme.

Racket membership costs considerably less than one might think, as it does at the other tennis clubs around the region; Hallamshire, Abbeydale, Huddersfield, Chapel Allerton, Heaton, York and Ripon

Yes we have no depth in the men’s game and British women have never seen the second week of a grand slam tournament. So do something about it, pick up a racket and go and play yourself.