WBA super middleweight champion George Groves found it very tough to watch his good friend David Haye get battered last Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London.

The former cruiserweight and and heavyweight champion went down three times and was finally stopped in the fifth round by Tony Bellew, who was competing in only his second contest at heavyweight.

Haye's previous contest, in March of 2017, he was stopped in the eleventh round by Bellew. But during that contest he suffered a ruptured Achilles - which created the demand for a rematch.

After the contest, the 37-year-old Haye refused to rule out the possibility of fighting again in the coming future.

When Groves first turned pro, he was promoted in the early part of his career by Haye's promotional company - before eventually crossing over to Frank Warren. Groves is currently promoted by Sauerland Event.

And now Groves is crossing his fingers that this old friend stays away from the ring.

"When I first joined this rat race it was under The Hayemaker banner. David was 28 years old. Our trainer would tell me of their ‘smash and grab’ mindset for the sport, with each boxing decision weighed up for it’s dollar to brain cell ratio and an exit strategy for him at 30 years of age. I thought that’s a great idea... Henry Ford said “The air is full of good ideas” but some ideas are just full of hot air," Groves stated.

"David was kind and generous to me when I turned pro. I learnt a lot from him in the early part of my career. I won’t forget that. I hope he finds his new calling, I hope he’s happy, I hope he never decides to fight again."

Haye is still a promoter, with Olympic silver medal winner Joe Joyce being one of the top fighters under his banner.