• Boxing

Haye refuses to rule out comeback

ESPN staff
February 12, 2014
Steve Bunce and Barry Jones chat to Dereck Chisora and Don Charles ahead of Chisora's upcoming fight with Kevin Johnson at the Copperbox

David Haye has refused to rule out a return to boxing despite being advised to retire after undergoing major shoulder surgery.

Haye, the former world heavyweight champion, underwent a five-hour operation on his right shoulder in November, forcing him to pull out of a bout with Tyson Fury scheduled for February 8.

Having originally been scheduled to fight Fury in Manchester in September, the bout was rearranged when Haye suffered a cut above his left eye in training.

The other Fury

Tyson Fury stands alongside his cousin Hughie © PA Photos
  • Hughie Fury's long and winding path through the heavyweight division is set to take another step up on Saturday at the Copper Box Arena - just don't expect him to go shouting about it, writes Steve Bunce.
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And three months on from surgery, Haye, 33, insists he is still unable to even run.

"You talk to 10 doctors, 50% say you can make a recovery and 50% say, 'no you're done, you'll never be able to throw a punch again otherwise your arm will fall out of its socket'," said Haye.

"No-one knows how it's going to heal. At the moment I can't throw a punch, so hopefully in a few months I'll be able to throw one, but you never know.

"I can't say 100% yes or 100% no, I'm just taking every day at a time. I won't know anything for a good few months yet. My shoulder's bad enough that I can't even run yet.

"That shows you how far away I am from being able to punch. It's going to take a little while, but I'm working hard on the rehab."

Haye originally retired from the sport in October 2011, three months after he lost his WBA crown to Wladimir Klitschko in Germany, though he returned to action the following year.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd
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