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By Nabil Hassan
HAYE BEATS VALUEV BY MAJORITY POINTS DECISION
2300: Haye reveals he damaged his right hand in the third round, hampering his ability to throw his famous 'Hayemaker'. He says he had to largely box left-handed throughout. Amazing revelation. "This means the world to me," he adds afterwards. Valuev cuts a despondent figure. You can't help but feel a tad sorry for the giant Russian, but he just didn't assert himself on the fight.
2257: Haye takes the majority decision, the first judge scores it 114-114, with the other two scoring it 116-112. Wild scenes in Germany, the Nuremberg Arena is going mental. Haye is overcome with emotion as he is in embraced by his trainer Adam Booth. Amazing scenes. 2255: Here comes the 'Buff. "And the NEW WBA heavyweight champion of the world is David Haye."
2253: Just seen a replay of the left. It catches Valuev, but it's certainly not flush. Why, oh why did Haye not fight like that from the first bell? Round 12: Valuev, who has been one-dimensional, is rocked midway through the round. Haye wobbles him with a massive left. The Russian is all over the place, his legs have gone, but Haye cannot finish him off. The Russian clears his head but another two-punch combination rocks the giant Russian. He's literally one punch away from being felled, but Haye cannot find the winning shot. Valuev holds on and final bell goes. It's going to the judges scorecards. Round 11: A two-punch combination from Haye and the Brit seems in confident mood as he smiles at his Russian opponent. But Haye's not busy enough and he's hurting the frustrated Russian far too frequently. A left hook from Valuev hurts Haye and he responds with one of his own, right on the bell. Haye may need something special now. Round 10: Haye starts with a decent left hook, but Valuev responds with a right hook. A right to the body makes the Russian wince but he ends the round well. A right catches Haye in the corner, and a later left again pins the Brit against the ropes. A right on the bell from Valuev sees him end the round on a high. Haye is going to need to take these last two rounds. Round nine: It's an uneventful start to the round, with a right from Haye midway through sparking it into life. He follows it with another left jab, right hook combination and Valuev responds with a solitary jab. Better from Haye. Round eight: A sharp jab catches Valuev but Haye is going to need combinations if he is going to win this fight. He's not catching either the Russian or the eyes of the ringside judges. Valuev's pace is slowing and Haye finally picks him off with a right-left combination. The Russian tries to respond but he cannot catch Haye in this round. Is the Russian tiring? Round seven: Haye's continuing to stick with the same, in-out tactics. He's still looking strong and lively but a right from Value to the top of the Brit's head sends him into the ropes, but he shows neat footwork to escape from trouble. Valuev catches Haye with a decent right at the end of the round but Haye counters. Round six: Haye's corner work at swelling under his right eye and he's blowing heavily as the sixth round begins. Valuev catches Haye with a looping right and the Brit responds with two of his own. Haye is pinned in the corner and is again the recipient of more punishment from the Russian. Valuev ends the round well and he looks to be warming into this fight now. Valuev is shading this in my opinion. Round five: A three-punch burst from Haye doesn't hurt the Russian but these are eye-catching moments for the Brit. Valuev ups the pace in the dying seconds of the round and pins Haye against the ropes and catches the Brit with a right-left combination. This is bubbling up nicely. Round four: Valuev is getting closer and catches Haye with a right hand. Still the Russian is only throwing single shots and Haye looks comfortable. A left hand from Haye again catches Valuev who responds with two quick jabs. Valuev ends the round with a right. Round three: Valuev is only throwing single punches and Haye can see them coming. A right uppercut again catches Valuev flush and Haye follows it up with a straight left hook. Valuev is made to miss and is struggling to find the target. A glancing left hook on the bell catches Valuev. Great round for Haye. Round two: Haye lands with an early left hook, and quickly dives out of reach. Good tactics from Haye. You can't hit what you can't catch, and Valuev can't catch Haye. Still the Brit needs to land more and a left jab, right hook catches the Russian flush. Great combination. A late right jab from Valuev on the bell catches Haye for the first time. Round one: The first bell goes and the fight starts. It's a cagey start from Haye. Valuev commands the centre of the ring and immediately starts working the jab. Haye is so far proving evasive, but the Brit is struggling to get close. Nothing of any note lands from either fighter. 2200: The national anthems for the United Kingdom and Russia are belted out. This has the feel of Rocky IV about it. Now here comes the 'Buff..."let's get ready to rumble" brings a huge cheer as the two boxers get introduced. 2157: Now here comes the Russian. He's wearing a baseball hat that barely fits him, but then I guess not much does. He's massive. 2154: So Haye is in the ring, now it's the turn of the big man. But before Valuev can enter the arena a German rock band will belt out their latest hit. Haye has an iPod on, and that's just as well. This music is awful. 2152: Haye is booed by the German crowd as he enters the ring. Water off a duck's back boys. He's loving it in fact. The British contingent in Nuremberg are doing their best to cheer their man on. 2150: Ok, your MC for the night Michael Buffer is in the ring, the crowd are poised and here comes David Haye. He looks relaxed and confident as he starts his entrance to the ring. He's talked the talk and now is time to walk the walk. 2148: Valuev quits in the ninth.
2130: Good evening fight fans. This has the makings of a cracker. I will be taking you through the proceedings pre, during and post fight in Germany. Don't forget if you want to get involved then text 81111 or get involved on 606. If you're not lucky enough to be able to watch what has been dubbed 'David vs Goliath' then you can listen to Mike Costello and the BBC Radio 5 live team, who will also bring you all the action from Nuremberg. To do that, just follow the link at the top right of this page. BBC Sport's Ben Dirs is also ringside, he'll be bringing you all the post-fight analysis, but if you're desperate to know what he is doing now then you can follow him on (External) Twitter .
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