Haye eyes acting career

Former WBA champion wants to star in action films

David Haye is targeting a Hollywood acting career after confirming his retirement from boxing.

The former two-weight world champion celebrated his 31st birthday on Thursday by calling time on his glittering career – thus ending months of speculation that he was set to return to the ring to fightVitali Klitschko for the WBC title.

And Haye, who lost the WBA heavyweight belt to Wladimir Klitschko in his final bout, insists there is no chance he would be willing to step back into the ring for one last big pay-day.

Instead, the Londoner will turn his attention to acting to ensure he keeps himself occupied during his time out of the sport.

“Once you don’t have any drive, focus or desire that’s when I assume you start spiralling downhill so the acting will be something new for me. I want to go into action films. I am looking forward to it,” Haye said.

“The next phase for me is trying to become the best possible actor I can be and taking the same sort of philosophy and mindset I had in the ring into the acting world.

“It will be a good way for me to keep training as well. My whole life I have been in good condition so I just have to keep that up.”

Critic

Haye has fought a hostile war of words with heavyweight champions Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko since he moved up from cruiserweight in 2008, often goading the Ukrainian brothers with a series of crass insults.

The brothers had the last laugh this summer, however, when Wladimir comprehensively out-pointed Haye in Hamburg.

Despite admitting he did not deserve to beat Wladimir in Germany, the 31-year-old remains a big critic of the brothers, claiming the pair’s robotic, slow style and often dull personalities mean they are destroying a division synonymous with charismatic greats such as Muhammad Ali.

“In the division you are not going to be getting any more exciting nights now, unfortunately,” Haye said.

“Wladimir is now challenging Jean-Marc Mormeck – a guy who I knocked out at cruiserweight. It will be one of the most unappealing heavyweight contests for many years.

“It paints a really bleak picture for the future of the division. I can’t think why a person who has as many titles as Wladimir is challenging someone who has done nothing.

“It makes me think the division is back to what it was before I got here – it’s a shame but that’s the way it goes.”

(source: skysports.com)