David Haye is pulling out of his fight against Tyson Fury, for the second time, after undergoing shoulder surgery last Thursday, November 14. Fury vs. Haye is off for good, and the Hayemaker is now said to be officially contemplating retirement.
The fight was originally postponed when Haye suffered a cut during sparring, very late in training camp. It enraged Fury and his team, but they agreed to reschedule the bout. Now, they feel as if this was simply always going to happen, and that the two men were never going to fight.
As for Haye, after five hours of surgery in Germany to reconstruct his right shoulder, he is seriously considering ending his 11-year professional boxing career. Although, it must be said, he’s been a part-time professional for quite some time now. We’ve seen a lot more of him in the news than in the ring.
Haye’s shoulder surgery was an operation to the right subscapularis and bicep tendon attachments, both of which were ruptured.
Here’s an official statement from David Haye:
“I genuinely believed the shoulder injury wasn’t that bad. But the doctor sent me for a detailed MRI scan and within 24 hours I was told the full extent of the damage. Twenty-four hours after that I was in the operating theater.
“It’s a crushing blow for me. I had big plans for next year and the ultimate goal was to win back the world heavyweight title, something my amazing fans deserve. What I didn’t anticipate was that this year would be the unluckiest of my career and that a number of injuries would disrupt my plans so much. Perhaps it just wasn’t meant to be. The boxing Gods keep hinting that maybe enough is enough and that it’s time to finally hang up my gloves.
“The surgery and subsequent results are a bitter pill to swallow because I truly felt I had a lot more to offer and was looking forward to paying back my loyal fans with some great fights in 2014. But I’ve been boxing for 23 years now, amateur and pro, and this has clearly taken its toll on my body. I can only offer my sincerest apologies to all those fans who have followed me over the years and, like me, wanted to finish on a real high. This wasn’t how I wanted to end 2013.
“If I’m now destined to have won the European Championship, the Unified World Cruiserweight Championship and the WBA Heavyweight Championship of the world – with a record of 28 fights, 26 wins, 24 victories coming via knockout and only two defeats – then so be it. I’m proud of these achievements and consider my boxing career a huge success.”
All fans with tickets to Haye vs. Fury on February 8 should go to their point of sale for a refund. Hayemaker Boxing apologizes for the inconvenience caused.
