In April Kuznetsov scored a TKO win against Havey. It seemed that the days of heavyweight dominance were at an end for the Brit. His rivals no longer felt the same fear, supporters turned on him and boxing experts declared him ‘washed up’.
things looked bad at the weigh in. Havey was lighter than expected, considering he was against a top power puncher. He refused to talk but didn’t look well.
Only one pundit was allowed in his dressing room. When he came out he said, “keep this to yourself until after the fight. He doesn’t look well enough to get in a ring. He’s really poorly”. Things had just gone from bad to worse.
Havey made his ring walk first. He looked focused. I wouldn’t have wanted to be in his way.
Kuznetsov made Havey wait 13 minutes until he made his ring walk. No doubt a tactic. Kuznetsov couldn’t stand still. He looked eager to go.
Both men showed respect and touched gloves at the end of instructions. The bell went and Havey rushed out to take control of the centre of the ring, as he usually does. Kuznetsov conceded the centre but threw the first punch. More followed but Havey seemed untroubled. The Brit lounged into a combination and both men were tied up. Kuznetsov loaded up with power shots and Havey took them on the arms, protectively and consciously guarding his chin. Havey landed the most shots, though they had little impact. Havey’s round.
Round 2 was mostly uneventful. Havey evaded damage and Kuznetsov pressed the attack. Kuznetsov attacks but walks onto punches. He doesn’t seem to realise that Havey is setting traps. Kuznetsov does land a big shot in the second half of the round. A right cross found its way through Havey’s guard, bouncing off his jaw and snapping his head back. It was his only punch landed. Havey’s round.
Kuznetsov charges out for round 3. Havey meets him head on. They stand toe to toe and go to war. Kuznetsov clearly gets the better of the exchange. Both men briefly regroup. Kuznetsov lunges and muscles Havey up against the ropes. He unloads, knowing this is the exact same position that he had previously stopped the Brit. Havey times one of the Russians shots and twists himself off the ropes and Kuznetsov onto them. A quick jab-cross opened Kuznetsov up, allowing the right uppercut to land cleanly. Kuznetsov went down. Frantically trying to get back up but his legs wouldn’t follow the brains commands. A 10 count and it was all over. Havey wins, KO round 3.
Ian Bell: Congratulations Champ. You got your revenge and the European strap. How does it feel? Havey: Feels like I put right a mistake. Mainly I’m feeling relief.
Bell: Did you feel like you were out of his league tonight. Havey: I don’t know if that’s how I would word it. I outboxed him. Felt I won every round. He troubled me at times. Most of the time nothing happened without me knowing it was going to happen. I felt in control almost all of the time.
Bell: You did win every round on all three judges scorecards. Some at ringside we’re critical. They said you didn’t look like your normal self and lacked the finesse we usually see. Havey: Is that what they said? I won every round and finished a champion off in round three. If that was him that done that to me, would they say the same. Listen, I’m popular with the crowd and unpopular with the pundits. We both know why but let’s not go into that. I done everything I could. I’m trying my best to meet everyone’s expectations. Sometimes I will, sometimes I won’t. I don’t need to be the same all the time. I can’t be. I just need to win.
Bell: You’re clearly unwell right now. Is that part of the reason you looked different? You looked good by the way. Just different? Havey: Training went so well. Then I came down with something last weekend. I stopped training on Tuesday. Couldn’t really eat. I did feel rough tonight. I felt a little stiff and like I couldn’t pull the trigger. My nose is blocked up but mostly I boxed the way I wanted to box. Have you ever gone the distance whilst being ill? It feels like hell. I wanted to keep as much in reserve as possible. I came in, boxed the best I could and knocked him out in the third round. Just like I said I would.
Bell: You actually said you would stop him in the second. Havey: I’m not perfect but I am trying to be.
Bell: Now you have won one each. Will there be a decider? Havey: Very unlikely. This fight wasn’t even close. I would usually say yes but it wasn’t close. Plus his team made it very difficult for me to get this rematch. If they had it their way it wouldn’t have happened. They only agreed because it was forced. So no. Kuznetsov is a good boxer. He’s strong but wasn’t ready for this fight. I said that all along. I wish him all the best. Thank you all for coming. I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you to my team and family. Have a good Christmas everyone.
Bell: Kuznetsov, commiserations, you lost your belt. How do you feel? Kuznetsov: I was confident. I knew he was injured last time. I still believed I was going to win by far. He’s very good, very tricky. Not the most powerful boxer but for some reason his shots really hurt. Always seemed to know what I was going to do. He deserved the win.
Bell: What next for you? Kuznetsov: I will keep going. You learn so much being in the ring with people of his experience. It will only make me better. He said no rematch. I will be getting that belt back, believe me.
Bell: Thanks for staying to talk. Kuznetsov: Any time.
Anthony Spalling
English Boxing Union 