All that talk of retirement being next up for David Haye looks rather silly now.
Not only is ‘The Hayemaker’ going to continue fighting but he is eyeing a return to the ring in 2017.
Haye is in the midst of an arduous recovery process after rupturing his Achilles tendon in a March defeat to arch-rival Tony Bellew.
The former world heavyweight and cruiserweight champion suffered the injury midway through the match-up at London’s O2 Arena and fought on for a further five rounds on one leg.
It was suggested that the injury was so severe as to possibly force the 36-year-old to hang up his gloves but that talk has been proven untrue by the latest update from the Haye camp.
“After eight weeks, I’m out of my air boot and it feels good to be walking around again following surgery on my ruptured Achilles tendon,” Haye told Metro, via the Sun.
“Every day I’m progressing what I can do in rehab working on strength and mobility.
“I have a top medical team who gave me a head start in my recovery after the Bellew fight.
“I’m ahead of schedule and have managed to keep training throughout.
“I want to be back in the ring by December.
“I’m confident I’ll make a full recovery. I’m still in great shape.”
Given the pay-per-view success of Bellew vs. Haye, the intrigue of which came solely from the bad blood between the pair of Brits, it would make sense for the rematch to be booked as the first meeting was somewhat hindered by Haye’s injury.
Bellew’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, insists the Liverpool fighter also wants to fight once more in 2017 and while Bellew has more potential opponents in front of him, the animosity that still exists with Haye makes that a definite front-runner.
“We’re going to fight this year, 100 percent,” Hearn told Sky Sports in March.
“Like Tony [Bellew] said, the decision will be made by him and his family and it’s my job to present the opportunities to him. I believe the Haye rematch will be one of those opportunities.
"Maybe Tony Bellew is my Benn-Eubank" https://t.co/UmaDzhoQtw
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) March 8, 2017
“Part of Tony Bellew wanted to beat him fully fit. There are some unanswered questions.
“It was an epic event, it was a thrilling fight but the Haye rematch certainly remains one of the biggest fights out there for both guys.
“For Haye the only fight out there is the Tony Bellew rematch. For Tony there’s the Haye rematch, there’s Joseph Parker, there’s Deontay Wilder, there’s Tyson Fury, there’s plenty of options.”
