CALL IT A DAY, HAYE
DAVID HAYE is being urged to quit before he further tarnishes his legacy.
Haye says he may carry on, despite Tony Bellew handing him the biggest beating of his 16-year pro career and claiming he would stop if he was no longer world level.
He was floored three times and promoter Eddie Hearn claims the shot two-weight world champ will damage his standing if he continues. “I would advise him to quit,” said the Matchroom boss. “He came up to me at the end and said, ‘I really enjoyed that fight’.
“He enjoyed the walk, but he’s never been hurt like that. Three times he was put down. They were brutal knockdowns while he was trading and the last one was heavy. “When people review his career, they will see lost Tony Bellew TKO 11, lost Tony Bellew TKO 5 as the last two and that will affect his legacy.
“There’s no point coming back because he’s not the same fighter he was. Of course he can beat people, but not world-class fighters.”
Hearn claims Haye is no longer a star name and the best opponent he could get would be Dillian Whyte.
“He’s not box office,” he said. “If he fights Dillian Whyte, it’s a big O2 fight, but it’s not box office.”
Haye, 37, has not beaten a major opponent since Dereck Chisora in 2012 and is undecided on his future.
Asked if he would retire, he said: “I don’t know. It didn’t feel that great in there. I’ll review the tapes and see exactly what went wrong, but Tony Bellew boxed a fantastic fight.”