If you're searching for an early insight into what David 'The Hayemaker' Haye plans to do to Wladimir Klitschko on July 2 in Hamburg, look no further than David Haye's Knockout, the WBA world heavyweight champion's very own iPhone computer game.
Accessible, exciting and gloriously bloody, David Haye's Knockout matches a pixelated Haye with an anonymous Russian heavyweight and urges gamers to throw punches until their fingers beg for mercy. WBA champion Haye has even been using the fast-paced beat-em-up game for inspiration and ideas in between recent training sessions.
“I've always loved the idea of having my own video game,” said Haye. “In David Haye's Knockout, fans can play as me and bash the living daylights out of my opponent. Also, once you reach a certain level of expertise, the game can get quite technical, and I've actually tried implementing tactics I'm working on in the gym to bring down the big Russian opponent on the game. I'm already an expert at it.”
The one-of-a-kind game was created by the heavyweight champion's talented cousin, Danny Haye, a doctorate in computer graphics, director of Grubby Hands Limited gaming company, and somebody eager to promote the benefits of simplicity.
“David Haye's Knockout returns gaming to its origins and the fundamentals are self-explanatory,” said Danny, formerly of award-winning developer Bizarre Creations. “You simply touch one of the gloves on the screen to chuck a fist at the opponent and continue doing so until your heart's content. You then progress to dodging punches with finger swipes and landing multiple punch combinations.”
Easy to learn, but tough to master, David Haye's Knockout places just as much emphasis on evasiveness and defence as it does on the crucial finishing blow. However, should Haye do enough damage to the Russian, there's a good chance you'll see the beaten man's head fly off and land in a ringside seat.
“I really liked the idea of that and it amused me a lot when I first saw it happen,” said Haye. “It amuses me even more to know that a certain Eastern European might get slightly upset and mistake this game for a crystal ball.
“I also love the fact that you can taunt and trash-talk your opponent by shaking the phone. As you can imagine, tactics like that are right up my street.”
A variety of rewards and trophies await experts good enough to master the game's various challenges and, though the WBA world heavyweight championship isn't up for grabs, players will have the opportunity to reap the rewards of toppling a giant in hostile territory.
“You can't just wing it - you need to decide how you're going to tackle it, as it's a bit like a puzzle,” said Danny. “You need to try countless strategies before finding one that cracks it.”
David Haye's Knockout became available to buy worldwide from the Apple Store at midnight (June 10):
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/david-hayes-knockout/id440504863?mt=8
*** The real thing goes down on July 2 in Hamburg, live on Sky Sports Box Office HD (08442 410888) ***