• David Haye v Tyson Fury

Haye advised to retire after surgery

David Haye's showdown with Tyson Fury on February 8 is off after the former world heavyweight champion underwent five hours of shoulder surgery.

Haye is now considering doctors' advice to retire from the sport after going under the knife to repair a ruptured subscapularis and bicep tendon attachments.

Hayemaker Boxing released a statement which read: "David underwent five hours of surgery in Germany on Thursday morning to reconstruct his right shoulder, and has since been told to seriously consider ending his glittering 11-year professional boxing career."

Haye added: "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 theatre.

"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."

Shortly after the announcement, Fury's uncle and trainer, Peter, wrote on Twitter: "It's no surprise to me - said all along the fight was not going to happen.

"Let's get the show back on the road with a real heavyweight fight."

Talking to the BBC, he added: "It was obvious this fight wasn't going to happen. The public have been duped."

I am truly gutted for my loyal fans ... http://t.co/evDFQz62Uh pic.twitter.com/7puf4NKLrs— David Haye (@mrdavidhaye) November 17, 2013

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