Sunning himself on an idyllic Greek island, you can guarantee the last thought in David Haye’s head was getting back in the ring, but as he explained to Tris Dixon of Boxing Scene, by the time the Hayemaker arrived back in London, there was a contract on his desk that was too good to turn down.
It all came about from a debate with his old friend-turned-opponent Joe Fournier, when someone asked the two in Mykonos who would come out on top. At first, Haye said he “found it quite amusing and said it might be a draw, trying to gee him up and encourage him a little bit.”
As the night wore on, though, the discussions became more serious, with Fournier bringing up Haye’s history of injuries which hampered him throughout his 28-win professional career as a reason why the 9-0 38-year old might now be able to topple his mate.
“I said all right, next time you’re in London we will get on 18oz gloves, headguards and I’ll give you four rounds and I guarantee you tap out before four rounds," recalled Haye.
"He said, 'What? You think I’m going to do that behind closed doors? If I get in the ring with you it’s going to be for real, 10oz gloves on'. It was drunken talk and he said Triller have got Oscar De La Hoya out of retirement, and they would love to get the Hayemaker out there and the numbers on my last fight were good so I’d reckon they’d have it as a special attraction for one night only."
The two know each other well having travelled the world together, preparing one another for fights, with Haye even acting as promoter for some of Fournier’s wins, all of which came against largely-unfancied opposition with losing records.
When asked about people who claim it’s simply a cash grab, Haye told Dixon: "It's effectively five weeks of focus and dedication, and I feel I’m being amply compensated.”
With that focus and dedication, Haye knows what he has to do. As a man who has suffered injuries throughout his career, he can’t afford any complacency.
“I can’t afford not to train because if something happens because I’ve not prepared I’ll never forgive myself," he added.
“It’s a very random situation, I get that. But how could I turn it down? I’m going to say it’s one and done, but I’ve said that before. I was lying before, now I’m telling the truth.”
Whatever happens on September 11th, it looks as though Haye is definitely classing this as his last fight rather than the beginning of a proper comeback, and he thinks he still has what it takes to win, with Fournier being a smaller boxer.
“I always used to start against light-heavyweights and cruiserweights just to practice getting hit, to get my timing, taking shots…The smaller guys used to speed me up, so he was the smaller guy I used to spar with," said Haye.