No sport in the world does hyperbole like boxing, as we have witnessed once again in the lead up to and in the wake of, David Haye 's victory over John Ruiz in Manchester.
The noble art has seldom been encumbered by perspective.
Unlike football, where fans will regularly turn out to see one-sided mismatches due to a deep-rooted sense of loyalty, fight fans are more fickle.
They need to be convinced continually to part with their money.
The boxing fraternity are well aware that shows and contests have to be packaged attractively and intriguingly if they are to be sold.
Hence the hype.
And to be honest, after dealing on a regular basis with surly footballers and paranoid PR people, it is no little fun for a reporter to listen to the excited spiel of boxers, promoters, corner men and trainers.
Every fighter, we are told, is in the best shape of their lives and ready to take on allcomers, anywhere and anytime.
The further up the bill, the grander the claims. It's all part of the game and in fairness the personable Haye brings more to that game than most.
In moving up from cruiserweight to heavyweight, the 29-year-old Londoner has caught the imagination of the British public which, as Frank Bruno showed, can be - pardon the pun - half the battle.
There have been precious few boxers like Ricky Hatton, whose charisma and personality alone could fill a 20, 000-capacity venue.
The hype around Haye's meeting with Ruiz allowed him to do exactly that at the home of Hatton, Manchester's MEN Arena and in an occasionally brutal bout he knocked the American down four times before his opponent had to be rescued by his corner in the ninth round.
Having successfully defended his WBA belt for the first time in such convincing fashion, you could have put the kettle on for his proclamation: "I believe I am the best heavyweight in the world. Anyone who doesn't agree can prove me wrong. I'll fight anybody."
A refreshing change from "we'll do our best and hope we get the result" but nevertheless such boldness carries it with the risk of confusing ambition with ability.
Boxing politics makes predicting his next opponent difficult.
A rematch with seven-foot Nikolay Valuev, whom he beat last November to win the title, is an option but not a very attractive one for those punters and viewers who quickly grew bored during their cagey encounter in November which Haye won on points.
What fight fans want is a meeting with Wladimir Klitschko or his brother Vitali Klitschko, who between them dominate the heavyweight scene.
So does Haye, apparently.
And at that point some realism has to pervade.
After beating Monte Barrett in what his first proper fight at heavyweight, Haye's encounter with Valuev was a freak show rather than a fight.
And one can't help thinking that a victory over a 38-year-old of dubious pedigree should not be overstated, especially given some of the frailties in the champion's defence which either Ukrainian would be keen to exploit.
Frank Maloney was manager to Lennox Lewis who never quite captured the hearts of the British public despite becoming undisputed world heavyweight champion at a time when the division was immeasurably stronger.
He believes Haye is a boxer in the right place at the right time who, nevertheless, should be careful what he wishes for.
"You can't take anything away from him," Maloney said.
"David Haye is good for British boxing. The sport is screaming out for a star because there are no stars at the moment.
"I wish Lennox Lewis had been accepted by the British public in the way that David Haye has been but they are incomparable as boxers.
"I think Lennox could still dominate heavyweight boxing now, even in his forties. Lennox's legacy is complete because he fought against top heavyweights, there are no great heavyweights around now so David can't build the same legacy.
"The Klitchko brothers are the most boring boxers I've seen but I would urge David to stay clear of them."
Frank Warren may not be Haye's biggest fan but it is hard to disagree with his analysis.
"Everyone is getting carried away," he said.
"Now is the time to see what Haye has got. His fight against Valuev captured the imagination of the general public as much as the boxing public because you had a guy called David who was up against a Goliath who was so much bigger and taller.
"People thought it would be one-sided but those in boxing knew differently. Ruiz was well past his best but anyway, look at the standard of the titles he won."
Haye is proving to be a breath of fresh air in a stagnating weight division.
He claims to be retiring at 31 so he has to move fast to fulfil his ambitions.
However, there is still much left to prove. And that is no exaggeration.
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