On the 16 January 2016, David ‘The Hayemaker’ Haye made his triumphant return to the boxing ring: absent from competition for three and a half years he had been side-lined with a persistent shoulder injury which put his fighting career on hold. In 2013, Haye was scheduled to fight Tyson Fury but after the match was postponed on two separate occasions due to injuries, eventually the fight was cancelled as Haye underwent career threatening shoulder surgery. Three months after the operation Haye told the Mirror: ‘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.’ There was speculation that Haye’s career was over, he even admitted to the Mirror that he received very mixed medical advice ‘50 per cent say you can make a recovery and 50 per cent say, no you’re done, you’ll never be able to throw a punch again.’
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It came as no surprise that there were doubts and suspicions as to whether Haye was ready to return to the ring when he announced his comeback match against Mark ‘The Dominator’ De Mori. The two heavyweights faced off in The O2 arena in front of a crowd of 16,000, including actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Idris Elba. Haye quickly crushed any reservations about his return as he swiftly defeated De Mori in just 131 seconds. As such, the match was considerably one sided as Haye completely dominated De Mori: unable to mount any form of offence, incapable of escaping Haye’s powerful onslaught and rapidly backed against the ropes, De Mori’s defence crumbled and he was quickly KO’d.
Whilst De Mori possesses an impressive win-loss record of 30-1, the Mirror’s Aaron Flanagan believes that in this match Mori was unequivocally outclassed from the start: ‘De Mori is the significant underdog coming into the fight and is seen as an ageing journeyman despite his impressive record.’ The Australian boxer experienced poor health as a child and whilst recovering he fell in love with boxing through watching his heroes on YouTube. As his health recovered, De Mori quickly became a proficient pugilist. After proving himself as an amateur competitor, De Mori joined the professional circuit where his success continued and he quickly signed a three-year deal with the legendary promoter Don King. De Mori’s bout with Haye was his first high-profile opportunity, yet despite this, going into the fight De Mori told Sky Sports: ‘I’ve got to pick some point to stop. To knock out a guy like David Haye and retire on a high point, I think would be the most intelligent move.’ Whether or not De Mori will continue his career after this defeat remains to be seen.
Although the match was brief the audience in The O2 arena seemed enthused by Haye’s successful return; moreover three million viewers tuned into the popular TV channel Dave to watch the fight, highlighting the huge amount of interest David Haye’s return has garnered. Haye’s professional boxing record now stands at 27-2, with his next bout set to take place on the 21 May 2016 also in The O2 arena. Haye’s opponent is yet to be confirmed but there are multiple candidates itching to square up and test for any residual weaknesses against The Hayemaker. One fight that’s unlikely to take place anytime soon is Fury VS Haye. Angered by Haye’s two previous withdrawals Fury has vowed to never fight Haye and would even be willing to vacate a possible title rather than compete. Fury told Sky Sports: ‘Whatever title he gets mandatory for, I will vacate. Let him fight the next challenger. I’m not giving him a pay day.’ According to The Telegraph Haye was quick to dismiss Fury’s comments: ‘If he doesn’t want to fight me, fair enough. I don’t really care. My goal is not to beat Tyson Fury, but to become world heavyweight champion and that’s about whoever has got the belts’.
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One possible opponent is Dillian Whyte – who boasts an impressive professional record of 16-1 – and has in fact already announced that he wants to fight Haye. According to South London Press, after Haye’s return match Whyte dismissed De Mori as ‘not dangerous at all’ and in regards to Haye, stated: ‘I’d love to fight him. I want two or three warm-up fights. David has said I am only British level but that’s rubbish’.
Another Boxer that’s making a name for himself is Antony Joshua. Joshua recently defeated Dillian Whyte for the British Heavyweight title and possesses a professional record of 15-0. All fifteen of Joshua’s wins have been by knockout, and as such, he has already been suggested as an appointment to fight Haye. In response, Haye told Soccer AM, ‘15 fights, 15 wins, 15 knockouts. He’s big, six foot six, ripped, young, fresh. That’s the type of fight I like the sound of’.
Haye has made a clear statement with his dominant return, but how indicative of Haye’s future matches is the one-sided bout against De Mori? The heavyweight-boxing scene is currently saturated with incredible fighters, all vying for their position at the top as a World Champion. Haye has overcome great adversity to return to the ring, now we must wait and see if he can continue to crush any obstacle in his path and once again become World Champion.
