By Charles Brun: David ‘Hayemaker’ Haye (28-4, 26 KOs) says the one fight he would entertain the idea of coming out of retirement for would be for him to face the winner of the Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury heavyweight clash. Haye, 39, says it’s not his intention to come out of retirement at this point in his life.
‘The Hayemaker’ hasn’t fought in two years since losing to Tony Bellew by a fifth-round knockout in their rematch in May 2018. That performance by the injury-wracked Haye showed that he had very little left at that stage of his 16-year pro career.
With that said, Haye would entertain the idea of facing the Joshua-Fury winner of it were presented to him. The money alone that Haye would receive in facing Joshua or Fury would make it worth the time and risk investment. However, for Haye to have a shot at being offered the fight against the winner of that match-up, he would need to come out of retirement and get one or two solid victories under his belt.
Haye isn’t in the class as a superstar like Mike Tyson or Evander Holyfield, and be able to get offered a huge fight after being out of the ring for ages.
Haye would come out of retirement for AJ-Fury winner
“The only one that I would do it for is the winner of AJ and Tyson Fury because that would be #1 vs. #1,” said Haye to Behind The Gloves when asked who he would come out of retirement to face. “That’s probably the only one, but not really. It’s a lot to go through.
“I got my body in a good place right now, and I’m in a good place. All my injuries have healed up. There’s been no hardcore training. I’ve been at home with my weights.
“Normally, when you train for a fight, you’ve got to put your body through it. If you want to knockout big guys and have a chance of winning against giants, you’ve got to sacrifice and put your body through it.
“I’ve enjoyed this time where the intensity has been taken from a ten to a three. Everyone thinks I train super, super hard. Not really. I probably train between half an hour to 45-minute every day, but I have a nice routine.
“I’m not training for an athletic performance. I’m training for vanity. When I watch fights now, I think ‘I’d slip this jab, I’d do this and do that.’ That’s the slippery slope when your brain starts going like that,” said Haye.
While some would criticize the idea of Haye facing the winner of the Joshua vs. Fury fight, it wouldn’t be any worse of a fight than what we’ve seen from these two heavyweights recently.
Fury’s last opponent Deontay Wilder looked like a rank amateur last February in losing to him by a 7th round knockout. For Joshua’s part, he’s coming off of a one-sided 12 round decision win over the badly out of shape 283-pound Andy Ruiz Jr. last December.
Provided that Haye could make it through a training camp without sustaining an injury to one of his limbs, he would be a good test for the Fury vs. Joshua winner. It’s not going to happen, though. Haye has no interest in returning to the ring, and even if he did, he wouldn’t be given the shot.
Like I said, Haye would need to beat a few credible opponents first before he would be considered for a fight against Fury or Joshua. The heavyweight division is starved for talent right now, and even old Haye would be a step up from the mediocre fighters we’ve seen facing AJ and Fury in recent times.
Joshua and Fury would be hard for Haye to beat
“I remember watching Anthony Joshua when he [recently] fought Andy Ruiz, and I thought, ‘Damn, that would be very, very difficult to beat,’” said Haye. “Even on my best day, that version of him [Joshua] that is boxing, and light on his feet, he’s ready and fearful as well,’ that’s hard to beat.
“I thought the same thing when I saw Tyson Fury fight Wilder. I’m watching, and I’m like, ‘That guy [Fury] is a hard guy to beat.’ So those are the two performances I’ve seen since I’ve been retired where I watched it and gone, ‘That would have been a hard work, no matter what version of me that was.’
“Them guys are big, they’re strong, and they’re in their prime. That version of AJ and that version of Tyson Fury, for any heavyweight in history, would have been a hard, hard night. It’s nice to see the sport evolving. The big guys are in shape, they’re athletic, and coming back and throwing plenty of punches.
“They’re in good physical health. It’s nice to see boxing evolving with the new generation of really setting the bar. That’s why you’ve got to get AJ and Fury in there, mixing it up. In 2021, that’s the one that we all HAVE to see for the future of the sport,” said Haye on boxing needing the undisputed championship next year.
Haye would need to employ and in and out attacking style for him to have a shot at beating Fury or Joshua. He couldn’t stay in their power alley and get beaten up with their size. One advantage that Haye would have is he doesn’t stop throwing punches when he’s held in a clinch.
It’s widely known that Joshua and Fury do a lot of clinching in their fights, and this is something Haye could take advantage of. He hits with a lot of power even being held, and he could hurt both of these fighters.
Haye reacts to Wilder’s excuses on loss to Fury
“Nobody wants to hear a reason other than the other guy was better than you that night, and that’s it,” said Haye in addressing Deontay Wilder’s excuse for his loss to Tyson Fury on February 22. “Shut-up and come back and show what you’ve got next time. That’s how boxing works.
“Deontay Wilder, if he’s to make it in the third fight with Tyson Fury, and let’s say he knocks Fury out in six rounds. That’s it; he’ll move on and carry on. That’s how it works. It’s down to your performance after [the loss], and for any fighter out there, you know the reason [why you lost].
“They know the reason. He might or might not know. Keep it to yourself. Whatever happens in Deontay Wilder’s next fight, win, lose or draw, just keep it to yourself and focus on winning that fight,” said Haye.
It was a wrong move on Wilder’s part to start making excuses for his seventh-round knockout loss to Fury, but he had to say something. Wilder was in a position where he was being asked questions, and he answered them in the usual blunt way of taking.
That’s something that boxing fans like about Wilder. He’s not like a politician in which he says things, hoping to gain mass appeal from people. Wilder is more of a tell-it-like-it-is person, and sometimes people don’t like hearing the truth from him.
Joshua vs. Fury winner will determine #1
“As long as we have one person that wins that fight, they can strip all the belts off him,” said Haye about the heavyweight division getting an undisputed champion. “We have one champion, number ono. Currently, it’s either AJ or Tyson Fury, as of today,” said Haye when asked who he views as the current #1 heavyweight.
“I can see AJ’s crispness, athleticism, and his dedication and the fact that he hasn’t blown up to 30 stone and hasn’t had substance issues and mental issues. The fact that he hasn’t had that, I see that as a reason in a 50-50 fight that he comes out on top.
“And vice versa, I see Tyson Fury as having been boxing significantly longer than Anthony Joshua, and the fact that up until now, he’s fought the better opposition in terms of Deontay Wilder. He’s better than anyone that AJ has fought, and the fact that he’s [Fury] has never lost a fight and has never been knocked out.
“I think in a 50-50 fight, that might put him ahead. It just depends on the day. Who’s game plan, and who rises to the occasion and who is more fearful and who is braver. Tyson Fury has shown that he can do that before, but AJ hasn’t yet,” said Haye.
The winner of Joshua vs. Fury will temporarily determine who the #1 heavyweight is, but time marches on. Fans aren’t going to continue to see the winner of the Joshua-Fury fight as the number one heavyweight on the planet for more than a year before they start having doubts about them. With young talents like Daniel Dubois moving up the ranks, Fury and Joshua could soon be replaced by him at the top.