Retirement certainly doesn’t seem to have entered David Haye’s mind.
Haye was forced to withdraw from his much anticipated rematch with Tony Bellew after injuring his biceps last week in a freak accident.
Scheduled to get a chance to avenge his March defeat to Bellew, Haye had been looking forward to the December 17 grudge match but had no option but to pull out and return to rehabilitation, a process with which he is only too familiar.
‘The Hayemaker’ had only just recovered from a ruptured Achilles, the injury which ultimately decided his first fight with Bellew as Haye could only fight on one leg for half the contest.
The frequency with which the 37-year-old has been picking up injuries led several fans to believe that he might be better off hanging up his gloves for good as his body doesn’t seem to be up to the gruelling requirements of an elite fighter.
But Haye has issued a defiant message to those calling for his retirement as the former world heavyweight and cruiserweight champion showed off the damage to his arm before insisting that he will return.
Road to recovery is officially underway. My bandages came off yesterday and physio started today!
As the saying goes, ‘if you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere’
6 weeks of focus and rehab – Bring it on 💪🏾 pic.twitter.com/Becv4MJb6v
— David Haye (@davidhaye) November 24, 2017
Bellew turned down the chance to accept a fight against a replacement opponent and both men seem keen to see their rivalry out via a bout in the first half of 2018.
“I am devastated to announce my much-anticipated rematch against Tony Bellew has been postponed until March 24 or May 5, subject to scheduling,” Haye said in a statement. “Despite the recent injury rumours, I was in perfect condition with an incredibly strong training camp, currently weighing lighter than I have for more than five years, I couldn’t wait to get back in the ring. I was ready to rewrite the ending of the Haye Bellew saga.
“Unfortunately, after a freak accident during a stair conditioning session, which I’ve done with no incident hundreds of times, I lost my footing, slipped, so instinctively grabbed the bannister to stop myself toppling down the stairwell, in doing so I somehow managed to damage my bicep in the process. This afternoon I underwent a procedure to repair it, this was pretty straightforward and my doctor and physiotherapist have no doubt that not only will I make a full recovery but will be able to be back in the gym to start my arm rehabilitation in two weeks.
“I would like to apologise to Tony, his family and his training team, as well as all our fans who have been left disappointed. I’ve been solely focussed on this fight and it’s extremely frustrating that I couldn’t finish 2017 with just my ring performance doing the talking. I look forward to getting back to training and into the ring in early 2018 with excitement and determination.”
