David Haye is one of Britain’s most prominent boxers. He has gained considerable international attention for his success in the sport and has consistently topped the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Organisation (WBO) rankings for the best-performing cruiserweight boxer. David Haye is often affectionately referred to as the Hayemaker by his fans.
Early Years
David Haye is a native of South London. He spent most of his formative years living in this part of the country. After having completed his studies at Bacon’s Technical College, London, Haye moved on to develop his boxing skills at Fitzroy Lodge in Lambeth.
Here he trained under the guidance of Mick Carney. Haye later described his days working with Carney as having been instrumental in shaping his love for the sport and developing confidence and discipline.
Haye also received much support and assistance from his family. His father, a national karate expert, exerted an important influence on his son’s sporting career.
Haye began his amateur career during the 1990s. In 1999, he attended the World Amateur Boxing Championships, which were held in Austin, Texas. However, he suffered a defeat early on in the competition. His performance in the 2001 World Amateur Boxing Championships was considerably more successful.
His progress through the competition was marked by a number of important wins, including one against Sebastian Kober, who had won the heavyweight boxing gold medal during the 2000 Sydney Olympics. However, Haye was defeated in the final round of the competition by the Cuban, Odlanier Solis. Nevertheless, Haye had come to be regarded within the boxing fraternity as a clear force to be reckoned with.
Of these wins, a number stand out. One such success came against Jean-Marc Mormeck in November 2007. This was a crucial match - its result would decide who would go home with the WBA and WBC titles. Haye defeated Mormeck in the 7th round by means of a technical knock out.
This win firmly established Haye’s dominance within his class. Mormeck had previously dominated this field, having been ranked as Number One by the influential American boxing digest, ‘Ring Magazine.’
David Haye’s fight against Enzo Maccarinelli was a widely anticipated encounter. Boxing insiders had described the meet as one of the biggest matches since Chris Eubank fought Nigel Benn. In the end, however, Haye came out victorious once again, defeating Maccarinelli in a breathtaking second round technical knock out.
Outside Boxing
Prior to turning professional, Haye dabbled in a bit of modelling. He was featured in advertisements for the Italian designer, Versace and the American casual-wear giants, Abercombie and Fitch. Haye has participated in numerous television programmes during his illustrious career. Amongst other shows, he has made appearances on ‘A Question of Sport’ and ‘Soccer AM.’
Future
Although he has mainly fought within the cruiserweight category, Haye hopes to enter the ranks of the heavyweight fighters in the near future. Inspired by the likes of Lennox Lewis, he hopes one day to come to dominate British and international heavyweight boxing.
He has made his ambitions clear, commenting on one occasion that “No fighter since Evander Holyfield has managed to become undisputed champion at both cruiserweight and heavyweight. With the combination of my experience with heavyweights in the amateurs, and my concussive power and speed, I'm hopeful of eventually replicating what 'The Real Deal' achieved before me.”
Haye regards his 2006 defeat of the Polish heavyweight, Tomasz Bonin as an indication of things to come. Given his current physical form and his recent successes, there is every chance that Haye will come to fulfill these ambitions in the not too distant future. Haye has announced his intention to retire from boxing once he turns 31.