Pundits' view on David Haye v Audley Harrison

Haye and Harrison trade verbal blows

If November's fight between David Haye and Audley Harrison is as entertaining as Tuesday's press conference, British boxing fans are in for real treat when the pair meet at the MEN Arena in Manchester. Haye, the WBA heavyweight champion, and Harrison, the former Olympic gold medallist, were in fine form as they traded insults as their fight on 13 November was announced at a news conference in London.

But how did Haye, one of the most valuable assets in world boxing and the so-called saviour of the heavyweight division, agree to fight a man who this time last year was fighting in the knock-out Prizefighter tournament? BBC Sport boxing commentator Mike Costello and pundit Steve Bunce analyse how the fight came to happen and what it means for both fighters. 

Costello: "It's a business deal."I know boxers who have walked away from this sport with nothing, so the chance for somebody to earn money for what on the outside seems very little risk is not a problem for me. That's why guys turn professional in the first place.

"The question David Haye has to answer is, how does he justify taking a fight like this given that when he came into the heavyweight division he said he was going to revitalise it?

"He said he was going to take on two top-10 contenders and then face either of the Klitschkos and although he did say he was going to fight for a world title which he did, the question he will have to answer before he retires, is, why didn't he take on either of the Klitschkos? "In terms of credibility and reputation, this fight is going to do zero for him. In terms of bank balance and in terms of boxing as a business there is not a better fight out there." 

Bunce: "This fight has happened because the Klitschko brothers, who hold the other versions of the world title, demanded too much of David and offered too little. "So David did the sensible thing - he's a businessman after all and he can't fight in deficit. He found a fight that was going to provide him with a major platform and a lot of money. It's also happening because David says Audley doesn't deserve this fight but he says the public have demanded it. 

"There are a few hundred people inside boxing circles who are saying this fight is terrible. Garbage. There have been fights like this since boxing started. This fits in with tradition. This is a popular fight. It will sell out. It will break records on Sky Box Office and it will break records on BBC Radio 5 live on the night."

Bunce: "This fight is so popular because Audley Harrison was watched by nearly seven million people at five in the morning when he won the Olympic gold medal 10 years ago. "He has got a great voice and a great profile. Haye is exciting, he went over and fought Nikolay Valuev and put boxing on the back pages. "He's good looking and is a good talker. These two were friends and that's why this night is called 'The Best of Enemies'. I've been with these guys over the years and they were inseparable. Something has happened and what you heard between those two today was genuine animosity. "There is needle involved and this fight has got just about everything. You've got the old face and the new face. The heavyweight title is on the line and it's got two guys who genuinely dislike each other and who in private will admit, if they get hit on the chin, they will get beat."