David Haye formally announces his retirement

It’s official. David Haye announced this morning that he’s hanging up the gloves for good. The 37-year-old fighter has endured a number of serious injuries in recent years, and following two consecutive defeats to Tony Bellew — a fighter he was once expected to easy plow through — he’s realized that enough is enough.

Haye released a 2000 word statement on his website and also posted this message on Instagram.

“Today (Tuesday, June 12, 2018) I announce my retirement from professional boxing. They say you can’t play boxing. Yet, as I write this retirement statement, and reflect on my time in the sport, I can’t find a better way to describe the ride,” Haye’s statement began. “Thanks to boxing, I have been able to live my unencumbered childhood dream; a dream my dad, Deron, facilitated the moment he took me to Fitzroy Lodge amateur boxing club as a nervous 10-year-old.”

After reflecting on the “two halves” of his career and the number of surgeries he’s underwent along the way, Haye concludes by saying:

“Since October 1990, I have been a boxer. That’s nearly 10,000 days of eating and sleeping boxing, and now I’m ready to close this chapter in my life.

“This is not the end of my story. It’s simply the start of something new.”

Haye ends his career with a record of 28-4, (26 KOs).