David Haye
Introduction
David Haye is one of Britain’s most prominent boxers. He has gained considerable international attention for his success in the sport and has consistently topped the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Organisation (WBO) rankings for the best-performing cruiserweight boxer. David Haye is often affectionately referred to as the Hayemaker by his fans.
Early Years
David Haye is a native of South London. He spent most of his formative years living in this part of the country. After having completed his studies at Bacon’s Technical College, London, Haye moved on to develop his boxing skills at Fitzroy Lodge in Lambeth.
Here he trained under the guidance of Mick Carney. Haye later described his days working with Carney as having been instrumental in shaping his love for the sport and developing confidence and discipline.
Haye also received much support and assistance from his family. His father, a national karate expert, exerted an important influence on his son’s sporting career.
Haye began his amateur career during the 1990s. In 1999, he attended the World Amateur Boxing Championships, which were held in Austin, Texas. However, he suffered a defeat early on in the competition. His performance in the 2001 World Amateur Boxing Championships was considerably more successful.
His progress through the competition was marked by a number of important wins, including one against Sebastian Kober, who had won the heavyweight boxing gold medal during the 2000 Sydney Olympics. However, Haye was defeated in the final round of the competition by the Cuban, Odlanier Solis. Nevertheless, Haye had come to be regarded within the boxing fraternity as a clear force to be reckoned with.
Career Highs
Here’s the lowdown on David Haye’s career. As you can see, he has suffered only one defeat since turning professional in 2002.
| Opponent | Outcome and Round | Date of Fight | Location of Fight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enzo Maccarinelli | W RSF 2 | 08 Mar 2008 | The 02 Arena (formerly Millenium Dome), London, England |
| Jean-Marc Mormeck | W TKO 7 | 10 Nov 2007 | Stade Marcel Cerdan, Paris, France |
| Tomasz Bonin | W RSF 1 | 27 Apr 2007 | Wembley Arena, Wembley, England |
| Giacobbe Fragomeni | W RSF 9 | 17 Nov 2006 | York Hall, Bethnal Green, England |
| Ismail Abdoul | W UPTS 12 | 21 Jul 2006 | Leisure Centre, Altrincham, England |
| Lasse Johansen | W RSF 8 | 24 Mar 2006 | York Hall, Bethnal Green, England |
| Alexander Gurov | W KO 1 | 16 Dec 2005 | Leisure Centre, Bracknell, England |
| Vincenzo Rossitto | W RSF 2 | 14 Oct 2005 | Leisure Centre, Huddersfield, England |
| Glen Kelly | W RSF 2 | 04 Mar 2005 | The Magna Centre, Rotherham, England |
| Garry Delaney | W RTD 3 | 21 Jan 2005 | Fountain Leisure Centre, Brentford, England |
| Valery Semishkur | W RSF 1 | 10 Dec 2004 | Hillsborough Leisure Centre, Sheffield, England |
| Carl Thompson | L RSF 5 | 10 Sep 2004 | Wembley Arena, Wembley, England |
| Arthur Williams | W RSF 3 | 12 May 2004 | Rivermead Leisure Centre, Reading, England |
| Hastings Rasani | W RSF 1 | 20 Mar 2004 | Wembley Arena, Wembley, England |
| Tony Dowling | W RSF 1 | 14 Nov 2003 | York Hall, Bethnal Green, England |
| Lolenga Mock | W RSF 4 | 26 Sep 2003 | Rivermead Leisure Centre, Reading, England |
| Greg Scott-Briggs | W KO 1 | 01 Aug 2003 | York Hall, Bethnal Green, England |
| Vance Winn | W KO 1 | 15 Jul 2003 | Playboy Mansion, Beverly Hills, United States |
| Phil Day | W RSF 2 | 18 Mar 2003 | Rivermead Leisure Centre, Reading, England |
| Roger Bowden | W RSF 1 | 04 Mar 2003 | Seville Beach Hotel, Miami, United States |
| Saber Zairi | W RSF 4 | 24 Jan 2003 | Ponds Forge Arena, Sheffield, England |
| Tony Booth | W RSF 2 | 08 Dec 2002 | York Hall, Bethnal Green, England |
Key to Technical Terms Used in Table
W – Win
L – Loss
KO – Knock Out
TKO – Technical Knock Out
RSF – Referee Stops Fight
UPTS – Unanimous Points Decision
Of these wins, a number stand out. One such success came against Jean-Marc Mormeck in November 2007. This was a crucial match – its result would decide who would go home with the WBA and WBC titles. Haye defeated Mormeck in the 7th round by means of a technical knock out.
This win firmly established Haye’s dominance within his class. Mormeck had previously dominated this field, having been ranked as Number One by the influential American boxing digest, ‘Ring Magazine.’
David Haye’s fight against Enzo Maccarinelli was a widely anticipated encounter. Boxing insiders had described the meet as one of the biggest matches since Chris Eubank fought Nigel Benn. In the end, however, Haye came out victorious once again, defeating Maccarinelli in a breathtaking second round technical knock out.
Outside Boxing
Prior to turning professional, Haye dabbled in a bit of modelling. He was featured in advertisements for the Italian designer, Versace and the American casual-wear giants, Abercombie and Fitch. Haye has participated in numerous television programmes during his illustrious career. Amongst other shows, he has made appearances on ‘A Question of Sport’ and ‘Soccer AM.’
Future
Although he has mainly fought within the cruiserweight category, Haye hopes to enter the ranks of the heavyweight fighters in the near future. Inspired by the likes of Lennox Lewis, he hopes one day to come to dominate British and international heavyweight boxing.
He has made his ambitions clear, commenting on one occasion that “No fighter since Evander Holyfield has managed to become undisputed champion at both cruiserweight and heavyweight. With the combination of my experience with heavyweights in the amateurs, and my concussive power and speed, I’m hopeful of eventually replicating what ‘The Real Deal’ achieved before me.”
Haye regards his 2006 defeat of the Polish heavyweight, Tomasz Bonin as an indication of things to come. Given his current physical form and his recent successes, there is every chance that Haye will come to fulfill these ambitions in the not too distant future.
Haye has announced his intention to retire from boxing once he turns 31.