Boxing: Former heavyweight champion David Haye announces retirement

LONDON: Former world heavyweight champion David Haye has announced his retirement after nearly 16 years as a professional boxer.

The 37-year-old Briton won 28 and lost four of his 32 fights since turning professional in 2002 and his last defeat came in a rematch against Tony Bellew last month.

"Today 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 said in a statement on his website https://www.hayemaker.com.

"This is not the end of my story. It`s simply the start of something new."

Haye kicked off his illustrious career as a cruiserweight and unified the division. His 2008 victory over Enzo Maccarinelli earned him the WBO title to add to his WBA, WBC crowns.

"In the first eight years, everything ran smoothly. I had 25 fights and became the first ever British boxer to unify the cruiserweight division (WBA, WBC and WBO World Championships)," Haye added.

He moved up to the heavyweight division and took the WBA title in 2009 with a victory over Nikolay Valuev.

Haye went on to beat John Ruiz and Audley Harrison before facing Wladimir Klitschko in a unification fight in 2011, where he was criticised for his pre-fight antics before losing on a points decision. 

Haye suffered a number of injury problems in recent years.

"In the past five years I have snapped both biceps, my rotator cuff and my Achilles tendon. All four injuries were potentially career-ending and each of them required operations with months of intense rehabilitation," he said.

Haye lost to Bellew for the second time last month.

"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," Haye said.

"This is not the end of my story. It`s simply the start of something new."