David Haye will enter the ring tonight with the Union Jack proudly emblazoned on his shorts. With the country’s two biggest boxing stars, Joe Calzaghe and Ricky Hatton, approaching the end of their careers, Haye wants to be the next flag-bearer for British boxing.

It is at the O2 Arena, southeast London, the venue where he unified the WBC, WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles in a “battle of Britain” against Enzo Maccarinelli in March, that Haye starts his campaign to become world heavyweight champion when he faces Monte Barrett, of the United States. Sandwiched on the weekend between Calzaghe’s memorable win over Roy Jones Jr in New York and Hatton’s bout with Paulie Malignaggi in Las Vegas, Haye hopes to put on a display that will shine.

Haye’s target is to get to a position to challenge Wladimir Klitschko, the WBO, IBF and IBO champion, next summer, by which time Calzaghe and Hatton could have hung up their gloves. “Calzaghe has nothing else to prove, Hatton could have a couple of fights if he gets past Paulie,” Haye said. “Once these guys call it a day, I hope I can be flying the flag high. I don’t mind the pressure; I put a lot of pressure on myself.”

The exciting, big-punching Londoner has long divided public opinion. Now he shuns the bright lights and spends most of his time at his training base in Northern Cyprus, but early in his career he was written off as a pretty boy, as likely to be seen in a nightclub as a boxing gym. He has never been shy of sharing his opinions, either. “I talk a lot of smack,” Haye said. “I like it.”

That attitude ensures that, like Naseem Hamed before him, some in the crowd will be eager to see him put on his backside. His record shows that there is every chance Haye could end up as another horizontal heavyweight. He was knocked down three times as a cruiserweight - against Jean-Marc Mormeck, when winning the WBC and WBA titles, Carl Thompson, his only defeat, and Lolenga Mock - and swapping punches with the big boys presents obvious risks. “I don’t think I’m chinny,” Haye said. “If you get hit hard enough in the head, you will go over. If you just say, ‘I’ve got a great chin, I’m never going to get knocked down,’ you’re fooling yourself.”

Haye expects Barrett, a 37-year-old New Yorker who has challenged twice for a version of the world heavyweight title, to be looking for a knockout. “He’s probably someone who thinks I’ve made a big mistake facing him,” Haye said. “The word is that Barrett is in shape and motivated. He’s in good form, he’s won his last three and he’s had plenty of notice for this fight.”

Barrett is the first hurdle in Haye’s race to emulate Evander Holyfield by winning the cruiserweight and heavyweight titles. At 46, Holyfield could become a stop on the path, because the American challenges Nikolay Valuev, of Russia, for the WBA title in Zurich on December 20.

“I’d feel bad fighting Holyfield, he’s my idol,” Haye said. “But, then again, if he goes and beats Valuev, that’s a different story. He’d be right back in the mix. It’s sad that he’s still going.

“Once I knock out Wladimir, that will really create some interest in the heavyweights and I can clean up the division. I think Valuev will eventually fight Vitali [Klitschko, the WBC champion] and if I beat Wladimir, I can fight the winner of that. No one’s invincible, everyone’s got flaws.”

He will have to pile on some pounds before he matches the champions for size. At yesterday’s weigh-in, Haye scaled 15st 5lb – 15lb above the cruiserweight limit but more than a stone under what he said would be his ideal weight. Barrett weighed in at 16st 2lb.

Haye has big plans and wants to achieve everything and retire when he is 30. He is not the first name to set a deadline of when to hang up his gloves and he realises that few stick to their retirement plan. “I remember Joe Calzaghe saying he’d retire at 30, I remember Oscar De La Hoya saying he’d retire at 30 and Bernard Hopkins promised his dying mother that he’d retire at 40,” Haye said. “They are all still going. I have just turned 28, so that gives me nearly three years to achieve everything I want.”

Weighing in

Four boxers have won the world heavyweight title after holding a world title in a lower weight class

Bob Fitzsimmons Cornish-born Ruby Robert had held the middleweight title before beating James J. Corbett in 1897.

Michael Spinks Spinks, the light-heavyweight champion, beat Larry Holmes on points for the IBF title in 1985.

Evander Holyfield Holyfield, the cruiserweight champion, knocked out James “Buster” Douglas in three rounds in 1990.

Roy Jones Jr In 2003, after winning titles at middleweight, super-middleweight and light-heavyweight, Jones comfortably beat John Ruiz on points for the WBA title.