Haye fears ‘catastrophe’

DAVID HAYE has warned Anthony Joshua he may never recover if he suffers another ‘catastrophic’ defeat to Andy Ruiz Jnr.

Joshua fights Ruiz Jnr at the Diriyah Arena in Saudi Arabia next Saturday in an attempt to reclaim the IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles and to avenge his only defeat, which came when he was stopped at Madison Square Garden in June.

Haye, who was once WBA champion and retired last year to become a manager and promoter, said: ‘If Joshua loses, that’ll be really tough to come back from. A defeat would be catastrophic. He’s not the type of guy who’s going to want to step down a level. He believes he’s number one.

‘He can’t say: “I’m the number one except for that fat guy over there”. He has to win.’

Haye referenced fellow former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, adding: ‘How catastrophic was the Oliver McCall fight and the Hasim Rahman fight for Lewis’s legacy? It defined him.

‘Different fighters show that you can come back better and stronger, and I hope Joshua is one of those.’