Haye Simply Too Good for Enzo

At 2.33 Greenwich Mean Time, time stopped for Enzo Maccarinelli. For David Haye, his time had come, at two minutes and four seconds into the second round of the most anticipated all-British showdown since the days of Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank.

It was exhilarating while it lasted, almost unbearably tense, but utterly decisive. Haye promised a blitz and he delivered. This, he says, will be the last time we see him at super-middleweight and whoever picks up his WBC and WBA title belts will have to go some to match the Bermondsey boy for charisma, all-out action and frightening one-shot power.

For Maccarinelli, the trip home to south Wales will be a dour affair. He had trained so hard for so long and, given the power in his left-hook, had legitimate ambitions of adding Haye's titles to the WBO one he held. Now that is gone.

Haye had suggested he might blow away Wales' finest 'in the first minute' but that deadline came and went in a flurry of misses by both men. The nerves were palpable, from the not-so-cheap seats among the 18,000 sold in this fine venue all the way down to the ring where the combatants kept razor-sharp watch on each other.

Both are extraordinarily fast for such big men - as quick as some featherweights - and nearly every shot is licensed to finish. The first might have been even. The second started with similar sounding out. But then Haye planted a long right, his pet punch on Macarrinelli's jaw, followed by a left to the ribs. It was the beginning of the end. The dramatic finish he'd promised for weeks arrived in a blur of nuclear rights, mixed in with a left uppercut, that felled Enzo in a neutral corner. Haye kept up the assault as Maccarinelli slip down the ropes.

The final few hits totally disorientated him and as he wandered drunkenly to the center ring, hands limply by his side and eyes rolling, the referee John Keane decided that was enough for the evening.

Haye moves on to heavyweight. If he looks after his chin and stays focused under the astute stewardship of Adam Booth, he will be the most exciting addition to the big battalions in a long time.

Maccarinelli? He is good enough to come back. He might even be more determined than ever. But he will have to live with the frustration of never really getting into a fight he thought he could win.

On an under card longer than the Jubilee Line, there were a few interesting citizens, not the least of the the Walsh brothers from a traveling family in Cromer, Norfolk: Liam, Michael and Ryan.

This was their second scheduled outing together, after they had made their pro-debuts on the bill of Amir Khan's last fight, the first time three siblings had fought on the same card since the twins Ronnie and Reggie Kray and brother Charlie performed at the Royal Albert Hall in the Fifties.

With hundreds of 'Walshy's Farmy Army' cheering them on last night (or was it this morning?), Ryan outpointed Robin Deakin over four rounds at featherweight; bantamweight Michael stopped Kvicha Papiashvili in the last of four rounds; young Liam got squeezed from the entertainment at the last minute.

Kevin and Vince Mitchell kept the family theme rolling, and they will have much to talk about over the cornflakes this morning. Young Vince took his unbeaten run to four, outpointing John Baguley in four rounds without incident. Kevin, though, had the toughest night of his life in hanging on to his Commonwealth title, shipping far too many heavy head shots and trailing Carl Johanneson by a mile before dredging up a left hook to floor the Leeds man in the ninth. Johanneson, who looked on the verge of victory, got up but Mitchell thrashed away for another 10 seconds or so and Ian John-Lewis waved it over.

Mitchell was brave but naive. If he doesn't learn to avoid as well as throw big shots, he will be found out again at the highest level.

It was 19th stoppage win of the 23-year-old Dagenham super-feather's 26-fight career. Johanneson, the nephew of former Leeds footballer, Albert Johanneson, also loses his British title. He is 29 and will do well to come back from this, his fourth defeat in 28 fights.