David Haye makes light work of Enzo Maccarinelli

By Brian Doogan, Sunday Times Boxing Correspondent

David Haye won the battle of big punchers at the O2 Arena with a destructive second-round stoppage of Enzo Maccarinelli in the early hours of this morning. It meant he added Maccarinelli's World Boxing Organisation (WBO) cruiserweight title to those of the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC) and The Ring, which he already held.

With former world cruiserweight champion and heavyweight titleholder Evander Holyfield ringside, the 27-year-old champion from south London could not have produced a more emphatic performance.

Haye lost his balance early after his Welsh opponent connected with a left hook but he grazed Maccarinelli's chin with a left hook of his own before missing with his vaunted right hand. Despite both men's bad intentions, no real damage was inflicted in the first round, which Haye edged.

A right hand to Maccarinelli's jaw a minute into the second left the Welshman clearly hurt. Haye followed up with two left hooks to the body before another right wobbled Maccarinelli badly in a neutral corner. The Swansea man did not go down and Haye kept punching, before a final overhand right put Maccarinelli down and through the ropes. He rose to his feet but his legs were gone. After completing the mandatory eight-count referee John Keane waved the fight over. Maccarinelli protested mildly but the official's decision was the correct one.

This was Haye's last fight at cruiserweight. He is set to campaign as a heavyweight in future, aiming to become Britain's first world champion at that weight since Lennox Lewis. For a considerable period he has made huge demands of his body to boil down to the cruiserweight limit of 14st4lb. His mission is to emulate Holyfield, who managed to overcome the charge that he was a synthetic heavyweight through sheer force of his will. It was Haye's 21st win in 22 fights, and the 20th to end in a stoppage. For Maccarinelli, it was his second defeat against 28 wins and he must now try to resurrect his career as a cruiserweight.

On the undercard, Dagenham's Kevin Mitchell recorded his 26th straight win, to take the British super featherweight title from Carl Johanneson in a ninth-round stoppage. It was the toughest bout of the 23-year-old's career. Johanneson was on the verge of stopping him in round six before Mitchell rallied and floored the Yorkshireman in the ninth. A flurry of punches then persuaded the referee to intervene.