Born: 13 July 1980

Birth Place: London, England

Nationality: British

Nickname: Hayemaker

Division: Cruiserweight (200lbs) -Heavyweight (200lbs+)

Height: 6’ 3” / 191cm Reach: 80″ / 203cm

• 2001 World Amateur Boxing Championships Silver Medallist

• Unified World Cruiserweight Champion

• WBA Heavyweight Champion

• Power in Both Hands

• Very Fast Hands

As proven by his record, David Haye has extreme power and is pound-for-pound one of the hardest hitters in boxing. He can produce a knock out with any one punch at any time during a fight. His overhand right (hayemaker) is his most devastating shot which has either badly stunned or taken out many of his opponents.

The speed of Haye’s punches is also a problem for his opponents, as they are often caught off guard. Haye is not a combination puncher, which means that he usually only throws one or two punches at a time, but they are fast, powerful and accurate.

David Haye likes to fight on the back foot to draw his opponents onto his powerful shots. He doesn’t have a high punch output and is very selective with his punches. This is not only due to his style, but also because of his stamina issues, which has caused him problems in the past.

In only his 11thpro fight, he faced former world champion Carl Thompson. Haye started fast and almost got rid of Thompson with a constant barrage of punches in the first few rounds. However, as the fight wore on, Haye began to tire and was knocked down with a right hand in the 5 thround. Visibly fatigued, this prompted Haye’s corner to throw in the towel.

It was his first loss and many wrote him off. Since then, Haye has proven himself by unifying all the major world titles at Cruiserweight and has won a title at Heavyweight. Stamina is still an issue for Haye, but his speed, power and movement manages to dispatch opponents whose only hope is to pressure and tire him out.

• Haye switches his training camps between the hot climates of Cyprus and Miami, where he gets a real test by sparring against Cubans, who are known for their high quality boxing skills.

• As quoted by the man himself - “I eat 24 egg whites every day, raw, which contain no fat, just protein. I stick them in a glass and swallow them whole, six at a time. I also have four tins of sardines a day.”

• Clap Push Ups -Haye does 3 sets of 20 reps, and would also do as many as he can in under a minute. “With a clap press-up you generate a sudden burst of force to get yourself up and away from the floor and clap the hands. It mimics the punch action. Good for power endurance.”

Born: 16 June 1951

Birth Place: El Chorrillo, Panama

Nationality: Panamanian

Nickname: Manos de Piedra (Hands of Stone)

Division: Lightweight (135lbs) -Super Middleweight (168lbs)

Height: 5’ 7” / 170 cm

Reach: 66″ / 168 cm

• The Ring’s 5th greatest fighter of the last 80 years

• Associated Press’ #1 lightweight of the 20th century

• Five Time World Champion in Four Different Weight Classes

• Ferociousness

Roberto Duran wasn’t an ordinary brawler. He was a great body puncher with decent power in both hands, and unlike many brawlers, Duran had great defensive skills also.

He was able to subtly slip punches often with his arms by his waist, but Duran’s greatest attribute was his ferocity in the ring. His sheer aggression would intimidate and wear his opponents down especially when he was fighting at his best in the lightweight division.

Raised in the slums of El Chorrillo, Panama, Robert Duran is no stranger to hardship. Fighting for survival and even for fun, made Duran a beast in the ring. The infamous story of when Duran knocked out a horse in his younger days for a bottle of whiskey, shows the kind of mentality he had.

Even with little amateur experience, Duran often sparred with much more experienced fighters. He turned professional at just 16 and won his first world title at 21.

Duran’s record was 72-1 until he moved up to Welterweight to face the extraordinary Sugar Ray Leonard. Infuriated by the fact that Leonard was making five times more than him despite having a much better record, Duran vented his frustration in their fight. Known as “The Brawl in Montreal”, Duran outfought and even out-boxed Leonard throughout the fight to win a decision.

Their rematch destroyed Duran’s reputation as he quit due to being frustrated by his inability to hit Leonard while being taunted at the same time. Now coined as the “No Mas” (no more) fight, Duran had to endure mockery and criticism after this incident.

After several years of ups and downs, his reputation was restored after winning some very tough fights and adding several world titles to his collection.

What makes Roberto Duran such a great fighter? First and foreman, Duran is a fighter at heart. He had natural abilities but his mentality is something that cannot be emulated.

At his worst, Duran would indulge in women and food even when he had upcoming fights, but at his best, he would approach training the same way he fought - with ferocity.

He would rope skip at such a fast pace while performing “double unders” and jump squats at the same time. He would also bounce the speed bag around effectively with his head.

Sparring with much bigger men was a normal occurrence and it helped him to succeed in the heavier weight divisions. Roberto Duran retired from boxing at the age of 50 due to a car crash, but he would’ve almost certainly continued to fight as long as he could if it wasn’t for the accident.