HAYE REVEALS WHY HE KEEPS RETURNING
DAVID HAYE was lying on an operating table just hours after he was stopped by Tony Bellew in 11 rounds.
The former heavyweight champion needed to have his Achilles tendon put back together after it ruptured during their clash at the O2 Arena in March last year. The next day he was in the gym, working on his upper body using a special machine to activate his leg muscles with electricity so they did not deteriorate while his Achilles recovered.
Soon after the rematch was pencilled in for December, disaster struck.
Haye was ready for revenge but as he was trotting down some steps during a routine workout with a month to go, he slipped and grabbed the railing.
His bicep muscle tore and he was back under the knife within hours, with the return clash put on hold.
More painstaking rehab was needed, with visits to doctors, physiotherapy sessions and long, boring hours in the gym.
All for a fighter who is 37, won world titles at cruiserweight and heavyweight, achieved his childhood dreams and, if you speak to those close to him, is not short of a few quid.
So the simple question is: Why come back again? Why put yourself through this and why not just head to Miami and put your feet up?
“All the great champions have come back after they were washed up,” Haye told Starsport as he sat in his gym in London’s Vauxhall after another gruelling session. “The ultimate was Muhammad Ali. After by CHRIS McKENNA losing to Joe Frazier and Ken Norton, he then beats them and then beats George Foreman when everyone thought he had no chance.
“That is what solidified his greatness. I’m not saying I’m Ali – of course I’m not.
“But what makes you remembered is coming back when you are not at your best, not in your prime and yet you come back to perform at your highest level.”
So Haye’s motivation is to reign again as world heavyweight champion, but when the belts are tied up between Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder that’s no easy feat.
He accepts it is not just a case of avenging his defeat by Bellew tonight, but he has to look great doing it. If not, he will hang up his gloves for good and accept there’s little chance of him beating the two champions.
“It’s about winning,” said Haye. “It’s just trying to prove that you’re the best.
“Ever since I was at school – I was the fastest runner at my school, I was the best fighter at my school, then I was the best fighter in London. It was and is always about trying to prove you are No.1. Even with this 37-year-old body of mine, I still feel on the night, if I’m in tip-top shape, I can beat anyone.”
Haye has based himself in his home city of London for this camp after training in Miami for the first meeting.
He has also changed trainers, with Shane McGuigan moving on and Cuban coach Ismael Salas taking the reins.
The meticulous Ruben Tabares has come back in as strength and conditioning coach, helping Haye work on his timing, which was clearly off in the first Bellew fight.
But there are still question marks over Haye’s fitness, given his past injuries. There were back problems before a cut and then a shoulder problem which almost finished him off and scuppered two fights with Tyson Fury.
He said: “Even in my worst night against Bellew, I strangely somehow came out with more praise than if I had knocked him out in one round. That was something that I never anticipated.”
That’s another reason Haye has not quit. Despite all the bad-boy acts during his career, he wants to be loved by the boxing world. Tony Bellew v David Haye is exclusively live on Sky Sports Box Office tonight from 6pm at the O2 Arena, London.