David Haye vs John Ruiz - what did we learn and what have we yet to learn?

What did we learn?

Short answer: not a great deal.

Long answer: we learned a few subtle things.

1. Haye has the power to trouble any heavyweight - forget about whether he is the biggest hitter in the division (as Haye has brashly claimed), just consider that he hurt one of the toughest men in the sport today on quite a few occasions. I'm of the opinion that the apparent chin issue that allegedly plagues Wladimir Klitschko is overstated, but should Haye land directly to Wladimir's chin, it could be lights out.

2. Haye isn't as elusive as he thinks - Ruiz found the mark round after round with jabs, and although Haye avoided the vast majority of power shots thrown, it should be of concern in the Haye camp. While Haye rolled with most of the landed jabs to minimise impact, it is questionable as to whether the tactic would be of much effect against a heavier puncher than Ruiz. Both Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko have excellent jabs with real force behind them and if Haye takes too many, it could be lights out.

3. Ruiz is a badass - Haye landed power shot after power shot, round after round, not to mention the hard rabbit punches also landed and Ruiz never looked completely beaten. His legs may have been a little leaden after the first knockdown, but I think it's safe to assume from the other eight rounds that it was a case of getting caught cold. Ruiz showed Wolverine-like recuperative powers throughout the contest and showed tremendous heart in the face of a big puncher who was landing power shots almost at will thanks to superior speed. All that said, in the opinion of this blogger it's time for the quiet man to turn off the speakers entirely after suffering such a beating, especially considering the effort it would take to establish another title opportunity.

What have we yet to learn?

1) Can Haye take a true heavyweight punch? - with all due respect to Bonin, Barrett, Valuev and Ruiz; Haye is yet to take a flush punch from a decent puncher at the heavyweight division. Haye will almost certainly have to endure at least a flush punch or two from either Klitschko brother if he is to emerge victorious and we just don't know if he can. This fight-fan would suggest, contrary to popular opinion, that Haye would fare better against the older and tougher Vitali Klitschko under the assumption that his chin is still suspect. While Vitali is still a hard puncher, his stoppages are in the a lot of cases due to a prolonged beating rather than a devastating combination or single shot (see the Arreola fight for a prime example). The younger and arguably more vulnerable Wladimir is a far bigger puncher and could potentially stop Haye with a single shot.

2) Does Haye still have stamina issues? - Haye appeared to be breathing very heavily in between rounds as the fight progressed, raising concerns over whether he can maintain his level of performance under pressure (if you're thinking what I was thinking when I wrote this then you need to grow up). Breathing heavily does not necessarily point to poor stamina, but in most cases it is a clear indicator.