Will the Lasting Memory of David Haye be his Broken Toe?

Article first published as David Haye - Too Early to Retire? on Technorati.

 David Haye has announced his retirement from Boxing. He has followed through with his assertion that he would retire on his 31st Birthday. Being a keen boxing fan and having followed Haye’s career I am not overly surprised although I am slightly disappointed. I can fully understand the argument that boxers shouldn’t fight on too long. The increased risks to health are well documented. However in Haye’s case, and given he has an ego the size of a tower block, I would have thought he wouldn’t want his last ever professional fight to be dominated by broken toe jokes.

I have always considered Haye to be an intelligent sportsman, no mean feat in a sport not renowned for its thinkers. I particularly appreciate the way he and his team prepare for his fights. In analysing his build up to the defining fights of his career there is clearly a great deal thought that goes into the specificity of his training.

For his fight against Enzo Maccarinelli in March 2008 the fight was one of his first for an American audience and was screened by Setanta Sports at 3am British time. Haye changed his entire training routine and sleeping pattern so that he would be in the best possible condition. I am unaware if his opponent went to such lengths but as Haye destroyed him within the first few seconds of the second round that tells its own story. Especially as the fighters came into the bout with strong reputations and good records.

Haye’s training in preparation for his fight against Nikolai Valuev in November 2009 was much more publicised but no less ingenious. When sparring he got his partners to wear specially constructed boots in order to simulate him throwing punches at a 7’2” tall opponent. This provided much amusement to the press but it allowed Haye to develop a strategy based on throwing effective punches at an opponent the size of which he had never faced.

He is of course well known for his “trash talk” which appears to be a large part of big-time boxing these days. I agree that Haye sometimes takes this too far however the tactic of winding up your opponent so much that they aren’t concentrating on their game is well employed in most sports, professional and otherwise. It certainly worked for him as he inflicted only the second defeat of Valuev’s 52-fight career.

Haye’s preparation for his unification fight with Klitschko was clearly hampered by the broken toe, however there will always be those who considered the Ukrainian to be the better fighter and suggested he would have dispatched a fully fit Haye regardless. I wonder if this lingering question will remain with Haye. “Could it have been different if I were fully fit?”

I wonder if he will be tempted out of retirement like so many heavyweights before him. One last big payday etc etc. In a way I hope he doesn’t. He has made more than enough money and has exited the sport having at least reached the top. Heavyweight Champion isn’t a title many have held and he will be exiting with his health intact. At 31years old and with millions in the bank he has many directions in which he can take his future. I have enjoyed watching him box, however, would another bout be TOE-tally unexpected??