David Haye facts for kids

Quick facts for kids David Haye
Haye vs. Ismail Abdoul, 2006
Statistics
Real name	David Deron Haye
Nickname(s)	The Hayemaker
Rated at	Cruiserweight Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 3 in
Reach	78 in
Born	(1980-10-13) 13 October 1980 (age 44) Bermondsey, London, England
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	32
Wins	28
Wins by KO	26
Losses	4
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing  England Copenhagen Cup Gold Copenhagen 2000 Heavyweight Trofeo Italia Gold Naples 2002 Heavyweight World Amateur Championships Silver Belfast 2001 Heavyweight

David Deron Haye (born 13 October 1980) is a British former professional boxer. He competed from 2002 to 2018. He won many world championships in two different weight classes.

David Haye was the first British boxer to reach the final of the World Amateur Boxing Championships. He won a silver medal there in 2001. As a professional, Haye became a unified cruiserweight world champion in 2008. He won three major world titles. He was ranked as the world's best cruiserweight from 2005 to 2007.

In 2008, he moved up to heavyweight. He won the WBA title in 2009. He beat Nikolai Valuev, who was much taller and heavier than him. Haye is one of only three boxers ever to unify cruiserweight titles and become a heavyweight champion.

Haye started his own boxing company, Hayemaker Promotions, in 2008. He became a vegan in 2014. He also launched his own vegan protein powder that year.

David Haye's Early Life

David Deron Haye was born in Bermondsey, London, on 13 October 1980. His mother was English and his father was Jamaican. He grew up in Bermondsey and went to Bacon's College.

Amateur Boxing Career

When he was eighteen, Haye competed in the light-heavyweight division. This was at the 1999 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Texas. He beat the then-ABA light-heavyweight champion. However, he missed out on the 2000 Sydney Olympics. This was after a close defeat in a qualifying match.

At the 2001 World Championships in Belfast, Haye fought in the heavyweight division. He reached the final by beating Sebastian Köber. In the final, he lost to Odlanier Solís from Cuba. This earned him a silver medal. Haye's amateur record was 83 wins and 13 losses.

Professional Boxing Career

David Haye became a professional boxer in December 2002, when he was 22. In his first fight, his opponent stopped fighting in the second round. In 2003, he won seven fights, all by knockout. One notable win was against Lolenga Mock, where Haye had to get up after being knocked down himself to win.

Haye's fights were often shown on the BBC. His popularity grew in 2004 when he quickly beat former world champion "King" Arthur Williams.

First Major Loss: Haye vs. Thompson

Later in 2004, in his eleventh fight, Haye faced 40-year-old former champion Carl Thompson. Haye started very fast, hitting Thompson with many strong punches. He almost won in the early rounds.

But Thompson slowly got stronger as Haye seemed to get tired. Thompson knocked Haye down in the fifth round. Haye's team then stopped the fight by throwing in the towel. Haye had been winning on points before the fight was stopped.

Becoming European Champion

After his loss, Haye returned to fighting. He won his next two fights by technical knockout. He then faced Alexander Gurov for the European cruiserweight title. Haye knocked out Gurov with one punch in just 45 seconds.

In January 2006, Haye signed a new contract to help him achieve his world title goals. He successfully defended his European title against Ismail Abdoul. He also beat Giacobbe Fragomeni in the ninth round. Haye had wanted to beat Fragomeni for seven years. Fragomeni had controversially beaten him as an amateur.

In April 2007, Haye fought at heavyweight for a short time. He won by first-round knockout against Polish fighter Tomasz Bonin. Bonin was highly ranked and had only one loss before. Haye said he wanted to be the heavyweight champion of the world. He wanted everyone to know he could beat any boxer.

Unified Cruiserweight Champion

Haye vs. Mormeck

On 10 November 2007, Haye challenged Jean-Marc Mormeck for the WBA, WBC, Ring magazine, and lineal cruiserweight titles. Haye was knocked down in the fourth round. But he came back strong, knocking Mormeck down in the seventh round to win. This victory made Haye Britain's sixth world champion. He said he worked hard and showed great heart. This win confirmed Haye as a top-level fighter. He became Britain's first two-belt cruiserweight champion.

This fight was expected to be Haye's last at cruiserweight. But he decided to stay for one more big fight to unify more titles.

Haye vs. Maccarinelli

Haye and Enzo Maccarinelli fought in an all-British world cruiserweight title match on 9 March 2008. Haye's WBA, WBC, and The Ring titles were on the line, along with Maccarinelli's WBO title. Both boxers were known for powerful punches. Many expected a short fight. These predictions were right, as Haye knocked out Maccarinelli in the second round.

Moving to Heavyweight

Haye said his win over Maccarinelli completed his cruiserweight goals. He then moved to heavyweight. He beat Monte Barrett in London on 15 November 2008, winning by technical knockout in the fifth round.

Haye was supposed to fight Vitali Klitschko and then Wladimir Klitschko. But he had to pull out of the Wladimir Klitschko fight due to a back injury.

WBA Heavyweight Champion

Haye vs. Valuev

Haye then agreed to fight Nikolay Valuev, the WBA champion, on 7 November 2009, in Germany. Valuev was much bigger than Haye. Haye weighed almost 100 pounds less than Valuev. Haye joked about Valuev's appearance, calling him "the ugliest thing I have ever seen."

Haye beat Valuev by using smart tactics. He moved around, jabbed, and countered Valuev's punches. Haye almost knocked Valuev down in the final round. Haye won by a majority decision. He became the first boxer in history to win a world title fight while being seven stone (98 pounds) or more lighter than his opponent.

Haye vs. Ruiz

On 26 January 2010, John Ruiz was announced as Haye's first title defense. The fight took place on 3 April in Manchester. Haye defeated Ruiz by technical knockout in the ninth round. He knocked Ruiz down four times during the fight. This was only the second time Ruiz had been stopped in his career. After the fight, Haye challenged the Klitschko brothers.

Haye vs. Harrison

On 7 September 2010, it was confirmed that Haye would fight Audley Harrison on 13 November 2010. The press conference before the fight was very heated. On 13 November 2010, Haye defeated Harrison in the third round by technical knockout. Harrison landed only one punch during the whole fight. After being knocked down, Harrison struggled to get up. Haye immediately attacked again, and the referee stopped the fight.

Haye's plans to unify the heavyweight division faced a setback in January 2011. But in April 2011, it was announced that Haye and Wladimir Klitschko would fight on 2 July 2011.

Haye vs. Wladimir Klitschko

The fight between Haye and Wladimir Klitschko was a major heavyweight unification fight. Klitschko defeated Haye by a unanimous decision. He became the unified WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and The Ring heavyweight champion. Klitschko controlled the fight, landing almost twice as many punches as Haye. Haye later said he had a broken toe during the fight.

Retirement Talks and Return to Boxing

After the Klitschko fight, Haye hinted at retirement. He had a long-standing plan to retire before he turned 31. He said he would have achieved his goals: being an undisputed cruiserweight champion and unifying the heavyweight division.

Haye vs. Chisora

Haye put his retirement on hold. He was in talks to fight WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko. However, Klitschko fought Derek Chisora instead. After that fight, there was a big argument between Chisora and Haye, who was watching. This led to talks about Haye fighting Chisora.

On 8 May 2012, Haye announced he would fight Chisora on 14 July 2012, in London. This caused some discussion because neither boxer had a British boxing license at the time. They got a license from Luxembourg instead.

Haye won the fight with a fifth-round stoppage. Chisora was knocked down twice in the fifth round. The referee then decided Chisora could not continue.

Tyson Fury Talks and Injury

Haye was scheduled to fight Manuel Charr in June 2013, but he got injured. He then arranged a fight with Tyson Fury for September 2013. However, a week before the fight, Haye got a cut on his head and the fight was postponed. It was rescheduled for February 2014. But Haye pulled out again in November 2013 after shoulder surgery. Fury believed Haye was making excuses and didn't want to fight. Doctors advised Haye to retire, but he never officially announced it.

Heavyweight Comeback

In 2015, Haye changed trainers to Shane McGuigan.

Haye vs. de Mori

On 24 November 2015, Haye announced his comeback fight against Mark de Mori. The fight took place on 16 January 2016, in London. This was Haye's first fight in over three years. Haye came in at his heaviest weight. He knocked out de Mori in just 113 seconds of the first round. The fight was shown on the free-to-air channel Dave and was very popular. It was also streamed live on YouTube outside the UK.

Haye vs. Gjergjaj

On 26 January 2016, Haye announced his next fight against Arnold Gjergjaj for 21 May 2016. During the press conference, Shannon Briggs challenged Haye. Haye offered Briggs a fight on his undercard, promising to fight him next if Briggs won. Briggs agreed and won his fight.

Haye knocked Gjergjaj down three times in the first two rounds. The referee stopped the fight in the second round. Haye again used the Dave channel to broadcast the fight, which was also very popular. Despite Briggs winning his undercard fight, a match between him and Haye did not happen.

Haye vs. Bellew

After his win in October, WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew challenged Haye. Bellew's promoter, Eddie Hearn, said the fight could happen at heavyweight. On 25 November 2016, it was announced that Haye and Bellew would fight on 4 March 2017, in London. This was Bellew's first heavyweight fight.

At their first press conference, a small fight broke out between Haye and Bellew. On the day of the fight, Haye weighed more than Bellew. In the sixth round, Haye injured his achilles tendon, causing him to fall twice. Bellew then took control. Bellew knocked Haye down in the eleventh round. Haye got up, but his corner stopped the fight. Bellew won by technical knockout. Haye was praised for continuing to fight while injured.

Change of Trainer

On 3 June 2017, Haye and his trainer Shane McGuigan decided to stop working together. They said it was a mutual agreement. On 6 July, Haye announced that he had hired Cuban trainer Ismael Salas. Salas believed he could help Haye win another world title.

Haye vs. Bellew II

On 12 July 2017, Haye confirmed he was training again. Negotiations began for a rematch between Haye and Bellew for December 2017. After some back and forth, the fight was officially confirmed for 29 September, to take place on 17 December 2017.

However, on 20 November, Haye injured his arm and had to pull out. The fight was rescheduled for 5 May 2018. Haye and Bellew both weighed less than in their first fight.

Bellew knocked Haye down three times in the rematch. He won the fight by technical knockout in round five. Haye started strong, but Bellew landed clean punches, dropping Haye. Haye got up, but Bellew continued his attack. The referee stopped the fight with Haye against the ropes. Haye congratulated Bellew after the fight.

Final Retirement

On 12 June 2018, Haye announced his retirement from boxing. In his statement, he talked about his career and the many injuries he had suffered. He also shared that he had spinal surgery in March 2015.

Exhibition Bout

Haye vs. Fournier

In August 2021, Haye announced he would have one more fight. This was an exhibition bout against his friend, businessman Joe Fournier. It took place on 11 September 2021, in Los Angeles. Haye said the fight came about after a dinner discussion about who would win between them. He wanted to prove his point against his "overconfident billionaire buddy."

The fight was classified as an exhibition, meaning it didn't count on their professional records. Haye easily outboxed Fournier over 8 rounds. He knocked him down once and won by unanimous decision. After the fight, he jokingly challenged undefeated heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

Promotional Career

Haye with Adam Booth (center) and George Groves, 2011. Haye promoted Groves from 2008 to 2009.

On 20 January 2017, Haye announced he would combine his Hayemaker Promotions with Richard Schaefer's Ringstar Sport. They created Hayemaker Ringstar, a new company based in the UK. Their goal was to promote boxing shows in the UK and the US.

On 12 July 2017, Hayemaker Ringstar announced a TV deal with UKTV for the channel Dave. The deal was for three years, showing five fight nights per year. Hayemaker Ringstar also introduced new boxers they would promote, including Olympic silver medalist Joe Joyce.

Media Career

Haye created his own documentary reality show called David Haye versus. It was shown on Sky 1 in June 2011. The show featured him training and talking with famous people like Ricky Gervais and Justin Bieber.

In November 2012, he took part in the TV show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. He finished in third place.

Personal Life

David Haye lives in the Beckenham area of London. He married make-up artist Natasha in 2008. They have a son named Cassius, named after Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali). They divorced in 2016 after eight years of marriage.

Haye is a fan of Millwall FC. He also gained citizenship in Northern Cyprus in 2010, but later gave it up. His training camp was in Ozanköy from 2005 until he stopped working with his trainer Adam Booth. His old training site is now an amateur boxing gym. He sometimes wore the Northern Cypriot flag on his shorts, along with the English, UK, and Jamaican flags.

Haye became a vegan in 2014. He said he watched a documentary about how animals are farmed. He realized he didn't want to be part of it anymore. He researched to make sure he could still get enough protein for boxing. He then stopped eating animal products and never went back. In 2016, he appeared in a video for PETA called David Haye: Vegan for Animals.

Honours and Awards

Haye was chosen for the final 10 shortlist for the 2010 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award. This was for his great performances against John Ruiz and Audley Harrison.

Professional Boxing Record

Exhibition Boxing Record

Viewership

International

Germany

UK Pay-Per-View Bouts

Images for kids

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  Haye vs. Ismail Abdoul, 2006

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  Haye at Wimbledon, 2014

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  Haye with Adam Booth (center) and George Groves, 2011.