David Haye return set for June 29 in Manchester

David Haye is stepping back into the boxing ring, as he'll fight on June 29 in Manchester. No opponent has been named, but the 32-year-old London native's mere presence as an active boxer should be at least a minor boost to the heavyweight division.

Haye (26-2, 24 KO) hasn't fought since last July, when he knocked out Dereck Chisora in an exciting, entertaining, and controversial fight in London, as the two fought under licenses issued by the Luxembourg Boxing Federation, which was a whole big thing, given that the British Boxing Board of Control had revoked the licenses of both men after their press conference brawl in Germany four months prior.

Haye-Chisora may have been a skid mark on boxing's underpants to some, but there's no denying that the fight generated big-time interest, and was among the most notable fights of 2012 in terms of attention paid to the event. It drew a big crowd, and was a major story.

There's no word yet on Haye's potential June 29 opponent, but you can count out either Klitschko brother, David Price (who will rematch Tony Thompson the next weekend), and surely Tyson Fury, as well, since Fury fights on April 20 against Steve Cunningham.