David Haye Inspired By Ali, Aims To Beat Wilder/Klitschko
Sep 16, 2015 • 5:34 AM ET
By Edward Chaykovsky
Former two division world champion David Haye (26-2, 24KOs), who soon turns 35-years-old, is targeting every major world title that he can get his hands on.
Inactive since 2012, when he knocked out Dereck Chisora in five around at West Ham's Upton Park on July 14th, Haye is looking to make a successful comeback after lengthy layoff like Muhammad Ali, George Foreman and Vitali Klitschko.
Haye was scheduled to face Tyson Fury, twice, with both scheduled dates falling through for different reasons. The first date in September 2013 fell apart when Haye suffered a cut in sparring. Then a February 2014 date fell apart after Haye suffered a shoulder injury.
The hard punching heavyweight has been promising a comeback for the past 18 months and says this time he is serious.
"I've been out of the ring for three years now so I've left it long enough,' he said. 'It's about time I get back in there and start doing what I do best. Look back in history and many fighters have had long lay-offs. Muhammad Ali was out for three and a half years, Wladimir Klitschko was out for four years, George Foreman was out for 10 years – they all came back and regained the heavyweight title," Haye told Daily Mail.
"Three years for me is not so much. I'm 34 years old, 35 soon but I haven't got that much mileage and I haven't taken many concussive blows. In terms of boxing freshness I still feel like I've got a lot left to give. I don't really look at my first fight back but I'm looking, ultimately, at the final goal. I want to regain the heavyweight championship of the world and unify the titles. I never quite did that as a heavyweight."
"At cruiserweight I won all the belts but at heavyweight I won the WBA title, the same one held by Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis. Now I want to win all the belts and to do that you've got to beat Deontay Wilder and Wladimir Klitschko. I've been in there with Klitschko once and lost on points and I'd like to get that right. I'm way off that yet, I've got to work my way back up the rankings but I'm looking forward to doing that."
