After his second defeat by Tony Bellew, David Haye dodged questions about retirement but the 37-year-old is now a sitting duck for top fightersBoxing accommodates no calumny, which is why David Haye should look back over his pronouncements before and after his devastating second defeat by Tony Bellew and consider doing what all fighters must eventually do: quit the day job.Three days before the 37-year-old Londoner endured his what might prove to be his farewell nightmare, he confessed: “My only reason for being in boxing is to prove I’m the best on the planet. I need to prove I’m better than Tony before I can think about that.” Related: Tony Bellew targets Tyson Fury while David Haye ponders his future...
At one stage the world’s most exciting heavyweight, the Hayemaker has not achieved what he should have doneDavid Haye was once the most exciting heavyweight in the world. He was fast, powerful and smart in the ring, punching considerably above his weight, loud and controversial outside it, a charismatic magnet of controversy.Yet for all that he has achieved – world titles at cruiser and heavyweight and as much celebrity and money as any good-looking working-class south London boy could have asked for – there is little doubt that, at 37, he has fallen short of what he could have achieved in an era of flux. Related: Katie Taylor takes first step towards being the one and only champion Continue reading...
Scouser offered a refreshing insight on Jorge Linares’s victory over Anthony Crolla that did not fit Sky’s guts-and-glory templateYou don’t have to agree with – or understand – everything Tony Bellew says to appreciate that he knows what he’s talking about. The Scouser is a movie script waiting for a sequel, a cruiserweight world champion with David Haye’s heavyweight scalp hanging from his belly belt, but he also has wit and sensibility that marks him out from the herd with a microphone in his hand.Bellew has grown into an articulate and entertaining ringside analyst for Sky and hit his stride again in Manchester on Saturday night, telling it like it is all through the card. He is not a salesman...