David Haye vs Tyson Fury cancelled, Haye advised to retire after shoulder surgery

David Haye vs Tyson Fury is officially a dead issue, as Haye has pulled out of the rescheduled February 8 fight after undergoing shoulder surgery in Germany. The 33-year-old has reportedly been advised to retire from boxing by his doctors.

Haye (26-2, 24 KO) hasn't fought since his July 2012 knockout of Dereck Chisora, a controversial fight that stemmed from a press conference brawl and wasn't sanctioned by the British Boxing Board of Control, which had suspended both men for their role in that presser scuffle in Germany, which took place after Chisora's loss to Vitali Klitshcko.

After beating Chisora, Haye talked himself up as a potential foe for Vitali or again for Wladimir Klitschko, but neither fight was given serious discussion. This year, Haye and fellow big-talking British heavyweight Fury (21-0, 15 KO) got into a war of words and signed to fight for September 28. That fell through when Haye bailed due to a cut suffered in camp.

Now after the surgery, his management says we may have seen the colorful fighter in the ring for the last time. Haye has always said he didn't want to stick around too long (though he broke his own promise to retire at 30), and if there is serious potential for him to suffer a severe shoulder injury, he may well hang up the gloves for good. He's been half-in since losing to Wladimir Klitschko in 2011, and he's got plenty of career options outside of the ring. He's a solid boxing analyst when given that duty on TV, he's a charismatic guy, and he's a celebrity of sorts away from boxing, too.