He was hardly going to return quietly, was he? David Haye is undoubtedly one of Britain's finest ever champions, and the 35 year-old is stepping back into the ring after a layoff in excess of three years on January 16th in a fight being dubbed Hayeday. Standing in his way is the Australian Mark De Mori, who though relatively unknown, is a top 10 ranked Heavyweight who hasn't lost in over a decade.
Former two-weight world champion Haye is obviously the overwhelming favourite, and is as short as 1/25 to win the fight. Should the Bermondsey man look good against De Mori, he could put himself back in the mix for a mega-fight in the coming 12 months, with Anthony Joshua being touted as a possible future opponent.
Hayes comeback/opponent were announced back on November 24th at the O2 Arena, with several journalists and broadcasters cramming in to the press room to get the small details. It was here that several questions began emerging in my thoughts.
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Why is he doing it now? Why return at the age of 35? Is David Haye still a relevant name? What is the real motivation behind all of this? Truth be told, I left without many real answers in spite of speaking to both fighters (as well as others) in some detail. In the weeks that followed, I did a fair amount of digging to try and uncover the truth. Let me tell you David Haye and his entourage are incredibly hard to squeeze non-planned answers out of. Almost six weeks later, I finally feel content with what I uncovered. Let's start at the beginning
Why now, at the age of 35?
Why did he walk away from the sport in the first place? Injuries. Haye initially put his defeat to Wladimir Klitschko down to having a broken toe (he told me otherwise, as you'll read later). He was also forced to pull out of fighting the current unified heavyweight champion of the world Tyson Fury twice due to injury a showdown which never actually happened.
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Following surgery on his problematic right shoulder, Haye was advised to hang the gloves up for good, and duly obliged announcing he would not be fighting again on November 17th, 2013. After successful surgery and a long rest period, Haye began training with Shane McGuigan, who he claims has him in better shape than ever. He recently spoke of his injury layoff with iFL TV, to whom he said:
"After the Chisora fight, the whole idea was to get a world title fight with Vitali Klitscko. Klitschko said I'll fight the winner, thinking I would never fight Chisora because hes a bit of a handful - they didn't think that was my type of thing. So, taking him up on the challenge, I fought Dereck Chisora, knocked him out, and the plan was to fight Vitali.
That went another way. He didn't answer my calls fair enough. He fought Manuel Charr and retired. I thought okay, I'll fight an interim Tyson Fury, just because he's a popular fighter. I'll get him out of the way and then look for a world title fight.
I just continuously got injured. Why was I going into those fights? I was going into those fights to get into a position to be world champion. Unfortunately, only until now am I able to physically get in the ring and fight. Prior to that, I wasn't."
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Haye needs to remain as active as possible in the coming months. If he is to be believed and his injuries are behind him, he certainly has the one-punch power to trouble any heavyweight on the planet.
Is David Haye still a relevant name?
Now that is an important question. Three-and-a-half years on, does David Haye still have pay-per-view appeal? Can he still sell out an arena? Or, as the case with his last fight, a football stadium? Remaining in the public eye is so important for a top-level fighter.
It is telling, if not surprising, that neither Channel 5 nor ITV picked up the fight with Mark De Mori. Following Hayes appearance in ITVs hit show I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!, it would have made sense for the fight to be shown with them especially as they actively seek to broadcast one or two fights every year.
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It is common knowledge that The Salter Brothers (Hayes new promoters) offered the fight to a majority of Freeview channels (their plan was always to be on mainstream TV, apparently). In spite of Haye saying otherwise, there were probably discussions with Sky Sports and Box Nation too. If a future fight with Anthony Joshua is on the cards, it is surprising that Sky Sports didnt show more of an interest in Hayes comeback given their exclusive deal with Joshua's promoters - Matchroom Sport. Eventually Dave took up the fight, leading to the slogan Dave on Dave.
Why then, with so many channels offered the fight, did only Dave show a genuine interest in picking it up? Perhaps, given his injury record, few broadcasters actually trust the 35 year-old to make it to fight night. Though many hardcore boxing fans are sniggering at the choice of broadcaster (given that they've never broadcasted a fight before), any top-level boxing on Freeview television is refreshing for fans. Who knows, if David Haye puts on a show for an audience bigger than Sky Sports can offer, he could just become the talk of the town once again.
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Broadcasting aside, 14,000 of a possible 16,000 tickets have been sold for January 16th at The O2 Arena, which perhaps shows fans still appreciate an exciting fighter. To put that into context, Andy Lee vs. Billy Joe Saunders sold 4,000 tickets last month in Manchester, and that was for the WBO world middleweight title. Evidence suggests that Haye is relevant, just not trusted to make it to fight night a risk most broadcasters just can't afford to take.
What is the real motivation behind the comeback?
Ask any boxing fan, and they'll probably tell you it's money. As gathered media sat and listened to David Haye talk about wanting to become heavyweight champion of the world once again on that comeback announcement day in November, one particular journalist (who shall remain unnamed) sniggered under his breath, before rubbing his fingers together as if to suggest he's simply paper-chasing.
David Haye is motivated by money of course he is. He's shrewd, smart and certainly knows how to sell a fight. Theres absolutely no shame in that. His cameraman told me as much, even suggesting Haye would rather take a big-money fight with Joshua for no significant title than a less prosperous world title bout with somebody else.
Though David maintains its all about winning world titles again, he let slip during the press conference that he teamed up with The Salter Brothers because of the money on the table. He essentially told them it would take x amount to get him back into the ring, and they didn't flinch. Even Dereck Chisora, Hayes last opponent, seems pretty sure it's all about getting a payday. Of Hayes comeback, he said:
"It's about money. What do you think David Hayes coming back for? It's the dollars baby. He's not coming back because he wants to be a world champion he was already a world champion! He did amazing, beating the tallest, heaviest heavyweight in the game [Nikolai Valuev]. He made money but guess what? Living in the fast lane, it runs out quickly. Thats why hes back."
Is there more to it than money, though? When given some genuine one-to-one time to speak to David, it was quite clear there's something more there. Yes, he is a money man, but is he haunted by the demons of the Klitschko fight which ruined his public image somewhat? He told me on the record for a piece which went out on TheSPORTbible in December:
"Getting in there with Wladimir Klitschko and righting the wrongs of the past would be ideal. It was a long time ago, and I definitely think I can do way better than I did back then. It was a points decision, it's not like I was knocked down or out or hurt - I just tactically got it wrong. Boxing seems a lot more dramatic when you get it wrong compared to other sports.
"You lose once and they tell you you're finished, but really? His face was more bust up than mine was. If Andy Murray beats Nadal in a game of tennis, should Nadal retire? No. He's lost and he's going to come back and play again. People are a bit harsh in boxing circles, but I can come back. I can be world champion again for sure."
No mention of the famous broken toe something he undoubtedly regrets saying, as it has followed him around in the form of taunts and jibes ever since. Is coming back to try and reach the top simply a way of exorcising some demons? It's more than possible.
There is a third theory that it is simply a matter of ego. David Haye loves attention. He loves being in the spotlight, and he loves being talked about. With fellow Brit heavyweights Anthony Joshua, Dillian Whyte and new world champion Tyson Fury getting all the attention in boxing circles in the last few months, Haye may be beginning to feel like a forgotten man. Why not announce a comeback only two weeks before the biggest British heavyweight fight in years? At least by doing so, he took a slim share of the publicity. This theory is exactly what Haye's next opponent Mark De Mori believes, as the Australian heavyweight feels Haye's finances are actually secure:
"Most comebacks don't end well. If the guys got money in the bank, it must be another reason whether its boredom or ego, any comeback when youve got money is silly. The public only remember him for pulling out, or a sore toe against Klitschko they dont remember his great highlights, so I think thats getting to him and he wants to come back and steal the spotlight again."
Are heavyweight comebacks a good idea? What does history tell us?
The history of top-level heavyweight comebacks provide good omens for David Haye. There are fantastic stories such as that of George Foreman coming back after a staggering 10-year layoff to become heavyweight world champion once again at the age of 45 (though it was his third world title attempt after coming back). Evander Holyfield sprung back from three defeats and being banned in 2005 to win the WBF heavyweight title aged 47, though similarly to Foreman, it was his third title attempt having made a comeback.
Even the legendary Muhammad Ali came back after three years following his refusal to serve in Vietnam and subsequent ban to continue building his legacy as one of the greatest heavyweights of all time beating the likes of the above mentioned George Foreman in the classic Rumble in the Jungle.
If money is the motivation for Haye, however, he should tread carefully. The great Joe Louis came out of retirement aged 36 (only a year old than Haye now is) due to being in more than $500,000 worth of debt. Louis lost his first comeback fight to Ezzard Charles, and though he managed to string together eight consecutive victories afterwards, his career ended terribly as Rocky Marciano knocked him out in the eighth round and ended his career for good. The fight was a mismatch, and many boxing experts knew what was coming for Louis. The real tragedy was that he had little choice but to fight because of the financial incentive. Renowned cornerman Dr. Ferdie Pacheco told SportsCentury in an emotional interview:
"He wasn't just going to lose. He was going to take a vicious, savage beating. Before the eyes of the nation, Joe Louis - an American hero if ever there was one - was going to get beaten up."
Regardless of his motivations or any potential concerns about the comeback, I can only offer David Haye the best of luck for January 16th. The heavyweight scene is booming, and having another entertaining, top-level Brit back in the mix can only be a positive for boxing fans.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: David Haye, Boxing
