Palais des Sport Marcel Cerdan, Paris, France was the location as Jean-Marc Mormeck put his WBC and WBA cruiserweight titles on the line against England's talented no.1 contender, David Haye. Mormeck, 35, was coming off a stirring victory against O'Neil Bell in March, in which he regained his titles and avenged the defeat Bell had inflicted upon him just over a year before. He displayed true grit and heart in the rematch to win on points in front of his adoring Paris public, and once again they were out in force to see their hero put his belts on the line against Haye.

Haye, 27, was having his first World title fight, and it represented a step up in class from the opponents he had faced so far. Ominously, the only other time he had stepped up into World class, veteran Carl Thompson had beaten him back down again, stopping Haye decisively in the 5th round. That chance had almost certainly came too early for Haye, who after only ten fights was simply too inexperienced, but it would have taught him valuable lessons that he will have learned from, notably the ability to pace himself, and not to go out with all guns blazing, and to use a more mature, cool head to think more.

Haye Hls


Haye certainly appeared to be calm as he entered the ring, looking relaxed and confident. He was smiling and laughing, and looked like he was about to do anything but challenge for a World title, but this is his character it seems, and it doesn't affect his performances in the ring in any way. The large crowd was very respectful, and surprisingly quiet as Haye made his entrance, but as soon as Mormeck came into view, the place erupted. Mormeck looked mean and focused, in stark contrast to Haye, and was clearly ready for battle. After the introductions, both in French and English, and national anthems for everyone but the janitor, which is customary in Europe, the fighters must have been in the ring a good 15 minutes before the action got under way.

Mormeck Hls


Haye came out crisply, flicking out his jab and moving around the ring, whilst Mormeck, hands high and tightly cupped to his face, just bobbed and weaved, trying to avoid the punches. It was possibly a mark of the respect he had for Haye's early power that he threw only one half-hearted jab in the first ninety seconds, which missed by feet. Obviously, Mormeck and his team had done their homework, and were expecting a torrid time early on, and had obviously prepared for it, but to Haye's credit, apparently he had learned from the Thompson fight, and was pacing himself well. His focus seemed to be Mormeck's body, and he dug in several powerful body shots that thudded into Mormecks midriff. Mormeck seemed unaffected, but he did absolutely nothing to win the round, and Haye took it comfortably.

The second saw Mormeck step it up slightly, and although still not throwing much, was able to avoid most of Haye's punches and counter with a few straight rights which may not have even landed if Haye didn't insist on keeping his left hand down below his waist. This has been a constant criticism of Haye, but he is aware of the technical glitch, and says that's simply his style, his way of doing things, so take it or leave it. It seemed to be costing him though, as headwork and reflexes are not a particularly effective way of defending for these big 200lb+ guys, and he was getting tagged. His offence never suffered however, and was repeatedly firing of hurtful looking shots to Mormecks body. It was more of the same in the third, and it was very evident that Mormecks game plan was to ride out the early storm, and take the ascendancy in the latter stages, a blueprint laid down by Carl Thompson three years ago, and although Haye seemed more composed early on this time, Mormeck's plan seemed to come into its own in the fourth round.

Mormeck noticeably steeped up the pace, and was almost for the first time on the offensive. Almost instant success came with it, as he caught Haye with a glancing right to the temple, which sent Haye's legs into a funny dance, albeit helped by the slippery canvas, and followed it up with a barrage of punches, the final right causing Haye to go down. It was a delayed response from Haye, and instead of being knocked down; he actually seemed to go down to one knee to avoid the onslaught. It was a smart move, as he knew he was in danger of getting stopped on his feet, but he didn't appear to be badly hurt, as he was smiling and talking to his corner, reassuring them he was okay whilst still down on his knee. His refuge is short lived however, as the second the referee waves them back together; Mormeck is on Haye like a predator. Another crashing right sends Haye's legs out of control yet again, though this time he avoids going down, instead managing to back off and spoil. He sees the round out, but it was Mormeck in control.

To his credit, Haye seemed to have recovered at the beginning of the fifth, and matches Mormeck punch for punch, landing the best shot of the exchange, a left hook that landed to Mormecks chin. Mormeck had an air of immunity to Haye's power though, and he remained clear-headed it seemed. It was at this point that another factor appeared to be taking its toll. Mormeck was getting tired. His mouth began to gape open, and he began to look heavy. He was still matching Haye, but his huge chance to finish the job in the previous round was all but gone. It was still a close round, but Mormeck was beginning to crack.
He was slightly refreshed at the beginning of round six, and tried to get his punches off, but it was obvious that his stamina was failing him. Everyone thought that Haye would be the one to feel the pace in the later rounds, but ironically the roles were reversed. No particularly devastating punches were being landed by Haye however, as Mormecks defense was still very effective. Try as he might, Haye just couldn't penetrate Mormecks tight guard yet.

Things were about to change however. The seventh round saw Mormeck desperately tired, and Haye was still there, fresh, and throwing leather. He was finally getting through Mormecks tight guard, and landed one or two to the head, culminating in a right uppercut that literally lifted Mormeck of his feet, and sent him reeling backwards into the ropes. Haye ran after him, intent on the finish, and landed a big clubbing right to the ear/neck area of Mormecks head that sent his lights out, as he fell face first onto the canvas. To his credit, Mormeck groggily came around and beat the count, a thing most wouldn't have done, but referee Guido Cavalleri took one look into Mormecks blurry eyes and waved the contest off, declaring Haye the winner, and new WBC/WBA/Ring Cruiserweight Champion Of the World.

Haye vs Mormeck


Haye was suitably ecstatic about the victory, a hard one in enemy territory, and rightfully so. He had come to France and wrenched the Title from an excellent champion. In his post-fight interview, Haye stated categorically that he will not defend the titles, as making the weight is out of the question, and will move up to heavyweight straight away. This may well scupper the plans to have an all British cruiserweight unification match with WBO champ Enzo Maccarinelli, who was actually in the UK TV studio, looking positively disappointed by Haye's words. Haye though can be proud of his performance. As for Mormeck, one feels the time has come for him to call it a day. Whether his financial situation allows him to do that remains to be seen, but he has undoubtedly come to the end of his World title days, and this devastating KO loss confirmed it.