BOXING SAFER THAN BOOZE & FAGS

Haye: Why Chisora is right to fight on at 38 after 12 defeats

DAVID HAYE claims Derek Chisora would “die quicker” if he quit boxing and turned to smoking and boozing.

The former two-weight world champion was asked about fears heavyweight veteran Chisora may be causing himself more damage by fighting on.

Chisora, 38, is heading into his 45th fight tomorrow when he takes on Kubrat Pulev in a rematch few have called for.

The Londoner has lost three in a row and suffered 12 career defeats in total, but is still being handed headline slots in the bruising division.

Boxers fighting on when their best days are behind them has been a sorry story for the sport in the past.

But Haye dismissed suggestions Chisora ( facing off yesterday with Pulev, above), who he managed between 2018 and 2021, should call it quits.

“It is a good advertisement the fact that he can lose fights and still have the fans come to see him and still have people supporting him,” said Haye (right).

“It would be worse for him to retire and start drinking and smoking. He would die a lot quicker doing that.

“Now boxing keeps him healthy, it keeps him looking at his nutrition, it keeps him having brain scans once a year. How many people get a brain scan to make sure they are tip top? Very, very few.” Haye reckons Chisora (inset, above) has shown enough in his defeats by Oleksandr Usyk and Joseph Parker to continue and would not fear putting him in with any heavyweight, including Deontay Wilder.

He added: “Never tell another man what to do with his life. It is a free world. “While he can sell out arenas and wants to do that, then people should just tune in and enjoy the fight. Don’t worry about anything, let fighters fight. When they’re ready to retire, they’re ready to retire. He gives people value for money. He receives what he generates.

“You eat what you kill. If you are filling up the O2, if you are getting millions to watch you worldwide, doing what you love to do, then I believe it is every man’s right to do what he wants.

“Nobody can tell you to stop being a rock climber because you are getting old and you might fall off easier this time because your hands aren’t as strong – that is that person’s choice to do it.”

Watch Chisora v Pulev live on DAZN tomorrow at 7pm