BoxRec

Carl Froch says David Haye is "100 per cent" determined to fight again after speaking to the 36-year-old following an operation on his ruptured Achilles tendon.

The former world champion suffered the serious injury in Saturday's stoppage defeat to Tony Bellew at The O2, prompting boxing experts to express serious doubts about his future in the sport.

But Froch says Haye has ruled out retirement and still holds world title ambitions, although a rematch with Bellew is his top priority.

He's told me he wants to come again - 100 per cent. He said to me and I quote, 'I will win a heavyweight world title,' but I want the rematch with Bellew first.

I'd watch it again. Only downside would be months more pantomime build up bullshìt.

It'll likely be months before Haye can even consider negotiating a rematch though. Bellew, if he doesn't pack it in, needs to strike while the irons hot so Haye might not get his wish of a rematch.

I'm certainly not paying for the PPV.

6-9 months for full rehab it says on some reading I'm doing.

I suppose it's possible, it appears that achilles tendons do usually heal well with proper rehab.

I think it's almost inevitable there will be a rematch.

jamesmcdonnell wrote:I'm certainly not paying for the PPV.

6-9 months for full rehab it says on some reading I'm doing.

I suppose it's possible, it appears that achilles tendons do usually heal well with proper rehab.

I think it's almost inevitable there will be a rematch.

Do you reckon Bellew will sit tight and wait to see what happens with Hayes injuries? He certainly could but I'm not sure if he will. Lot of ifs and buts. As you say it could take Haye months to recover then he'd want a training camp to prepare. Could be over a year before any potential rematch.

I imagine he may get the rematch, but it certainly won't be Bellew's next fight, and there's a good chance Bellew will lose before Haye is ready to fight again so it may take the gloss off somewhat.

Hard to imagine haye fighting before next year and surely he'll want to test it first against a David Allen type?

Money and ego is one thing but I genuinely got the impression haye enjoyed the fight.

Say what you want about Hollywood, his lifestyle, state of his marriage, wanting to be in Celeb limelight etc. End of the day he is a fighter who hadn't actually fought for years and years. He said himself something like it was his most enjoyable fight.

So I think if he can get the leg fixed he will definitely be fighting on.

Stuarty30 wrote:

jamesmcdonnell wrote:I'm certainly not paying for the PPV.

6-9 months for full rehab it says on some reading I'm doing.

I suppose it's possible, it appears that achilles tendons do usually heal well with proper rehab.

I think it's almost inevitable there will be a rematch.

Do you reckon Bellew will sit tight and wait to see what happens with Hayes injuries? He certainly could but I'm not sure if he will. Lot of ifs and buts. As you say it could take Haye months to recover then he'd want a training camp to prepare. Could be over a year before any potential rematch.

No, but as Horse said, it won't have much impact if he lost. If he's going to compete again at heavyweight, he may as well try and get a title tilt, or he could end up losing against a mediocre heavyweight. I'd say that every fight at heavy is a big risk for Bellew, but if he moves back down, then he's going to have to lose weight, then gain it again.

He could maybe have a non title cruiserweight fight over the limit?

SaadOffTheDeck wrote:Hard to imagine haye fighting before next year and surely he'll want to test it first against a David Allen type?

I don't reckon he'd have a tune up. He's either fit or not. If he's fit, he should beat Bellew, we saw that he was still competitive with 1 leg, so it's hard to imagine he wouldn't win if he comes in near 100% fit. Whether he can actually manage that, is another matter.

jamesmcdonnell wrote:

Stuarty30 wrote:

jamesmcdonnell wrote:I'm certainly not paying for the PPV.

6-9 months for full rehab it says on some reading I'm doing.

I suppose it's possible, it appears that achilles tendons do usually heal well with proper rehab.

I think it's almost inevitable there will be a rematch.

Do you reckon Bellew will sit tight and wait to see what happens with Hayes injuries? He certainly could but I'm not sure if he will. Lot of ifs and buts. As you say it could take Haye months to recover then he'd want a training camp to prepare. Could be over a year before any potential rematch.

No, but as Horse said, it won't have much impact if he lost. If he's going to compete again at heavyweight, he may as well try and get a title tilt, or he could end up losing against a mediocre heavyweight. I'd say that every fight at heavy is a big risk for Bellew, but if he moves back down, then he's going to have to lose weight, then gain it again.

He could maybe have a non title cruiserweight fight over the limit?

Some of the units at cruiser are just as dangerous as the heavies lol. He's in a good position though. Do you think he'd allow himself to be stripped of his title? He's always going on about how he's 'the proudest WBC champion in history' etc...

The thing is - Bellew expressly asked the question, can you confirm you are 100% fit and you won’t have an excuse afterwards?
And Haye expressly answered: “Yes.”

So really....without knocking the guy for being genuinely injured - who can believe a word of it? They simply canmot guarantee a fight. The only way it could be done is for Haye to have open sessions and show PLENTY of footage of vigourous training sessions in the run up - which he won’t be able to do for a long time. I suspect that Tony B will be retired and happily renting out houses and becoming a fatter Scouser or something by that time....

Stuarty30 wrote:

jamesmcdonnell wrote:

Stuarty30 wrote:
Do you reckon Bellew will sit tight and wait to see what happens with Hayes injuries? He certainly could but I'm not sure if he will. Lot of ifs and buts. As you say it could take Haye months to recover then he'd want a training camp to prepare. Could be over a year before any potential rematch.

No, but as Horse said, it won't have much impact if he lost. If he's going to compete again at heavyweight, he may as well try and get a title tilt, or he could end up losing against a mediocre heavyweight. I'd say that every fight at heavy is a big risk for Bellew, but if he moves back down, then he's going to have to lose weight, then gain it again.

He could maybe have a non title cruiserweight fight over the limit?

Some of the units at cruiser are just as dangerous as the heavies lol. He's in a good position though. Do you think he'd allow himself to be stripped of his title? He's always going on about how he's 'the proudest WBC champion in history' etc...

Why would he have to be stripped. You can have a non title fight over the weight. Although I guess by the time Haye is fit again he'd have to have a mandatory.

jamesmcdonnell wrote:

Stuarty30 wrote:

jamesmcdonnell wrote:
No, but as Horse said, it won't have much impact if he lost. If he's going to compete again at heavyweight, he may as well try and get a title tilt, or he could end up losing against a mediocre heavyweight. I'd say that every fight at heavy is a big risk for Bellew, but if he moves back down, then he's going to have to lose weight, then gain it again.

He could maybe have a non title cruiserweight fight over the limit?

Some of the units at cruiser are just as dangerous as the heavies lol. He's in a good position though. Do you think he'd allow himself to be stripped of his title? He's always going on about how he's 'the proudest WBC champion in history' etc...

Why would he have to be stripped. You can have a non title fight over the weight. Although I guess by the time Haye is fit again he'd have to have a mandatory.

Yeah that's what I meant. Could take Haye best part of a year to be fit again in which time I'd imagine he'd have to defend his title or risk losing it. If it's a mandatory it could depend on who the mandatory is. I'm not sure what the WBCs rankings are like at cruiser.

magwitch wrote:The thing is - Bellew expressly asked the question, can you confirm you are 100% fit and you won’t have an excuse afterwards?
And Haye expressly answered: “Yes.”

So really....without knocking the guy for being genuinely injured - who can believe a word of it? They simply canmot guarantee a fight. The only way it could be done is for Haye to have open sessions and show PLENTY of footage of vigourous training sessions in the run up - which he won’t be able to do for a long time. I suspect that Tony B will be retired and happily renting out houses and becoming a fatter Scouser or something by that time....

Bellew has hinted that he knew Haye was injured, said something along the lines that someone from Haye's camp leaked it, I think that's why he was saying that to Haye. Haye could hardly admit it could he.

If Huck becomes WBC mandatory I can see the Sky hype-train turning that into a big fight. I think they'd struggle to get it PPV worthy but more money than a Briedis fight, and you never know if Sky think they could get away with one if they stack the undercard.

Haye isn't going to fit to fight for about a year & that is assuming his rickety body can survive another training camp.

Stuarty30 wrote:

jamesmcdonnell wrote:

Stuarty30 wrote:
Some of the units at cruiser are just as dangerous as the heavies lol. He's in a good position though. Do you think he'd allow himself to be stripped of his title? He's always going on about how he's 'the proudest WBC champion in history' etc...

Why would he have to be stripped. You can have a non title fight over the weight. Although I guess by the time Haye is fit again he'd have to have a mandatory.

Yeah that's what I meant. Could take Haye best part of a year to be fit again in which time I'd imagine he'd have to defend his title or risk losing it. If it's a mandatory it could depend on who the mandatory is. I'm not sure what the WBCs rankings are like at cruiser.

WBC could make an exception on his mandatory if the WBC CW Champ were to fight the WBC HW Champ.
Great exposure for their belts in the build up to a Wilder vs. Bellew, champ vs. champ showdown...

I know a family friend who ruptured his achilles jogging over a speed bump and his foot was positioned in a funny way. Its not out of the question it happened out of the blue

Haye's twitter page updated with photo of his foot in plaster

"Home from Achilles reattachment surgery. I'm overwhelmed with your Positivity, Love & Support.From the bottom of my heart,Thank you all"

rehab will take ages. i had a full rupture of one of mine whilst playing footy. had an op to sew it back together. i was proactive with rehab and it still took me 6 months to start running again. was walking with a limp for ages as well. also you lose some muscle from the calf area so that leg will always be weak. dont think his was a full rupture cos theres no way he woulda been able to stand up.

blanca wrote:rehab will take ages. i had a full rupture of one of mine whilst playing footy. had an op to sew it back together. i was proactive with rehab and it still took me 6 months to start running again. was walking with a limp for ages as well. also you lose some muscle from the calf area so that leg will always be weak. dont think his was a full rupture cos theres no way he woulda been able to stand up.

It's did say reattachent surgery, not repair.

The achilles only comes into play when the foot flexes so no reason he couldn't have stood on it.

From Instagram

"Back home now chillin' with feet up, after a very successful Achilles reattachment surgery. Strangely after such an action packed fight, I have no aches and pains other then my freshly Reattached Achilles.
Professor James Frame and Kevin Lidlow are very happy with the outcome of my surgery, and are very confident of a 100% recovery back to full fitness.
I'm truly overwhelmed with all the positive messages of love and support. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all.
Time to catch up with family and friends before the rehab programme starts tomorrow night.
One Love
The Hayemaker"

blanca wrote:rehab will take ages. i had a full rupture of one of mine whilst playing footy. had an op to sew it back together. i was proactive with rehab and it still took me 6 months to start running again. was walking with a limp for ages as well. also you lose some muscle from the calf area so that leg will always be weak. dont think his was a full rupture cos theres no way he woulda been able to stand up.

I watched a documentary about John Barnes last year & he ruptured his Achilles at the height of his powers.

He did come back, but although he still wasn't even 30, he was never the same force again.

He also showed us the calf on the affected leg & it was noticeably smaller than the other leg.

Haye looked a shadow of himself before his Achilles popped; I'd be hugely surprised if he does come back.

Syntax Error wrote:

blanca wrote:rehab will take ages. i had a full rupture of one of mine whilst playing footy. had an op to sew it back together. i was proactive with rehab and it still took me 6 months to start running again. was walking with a limp for ages as well. also you lose some muscle from the calf area so that leg will always be weak. dont think his was a full rupture cos theres no way he woulda been able to stand up.

I watched a documentary about John Barnes last year & he ruptured his Achilles at the height of his powers.

He did come back, but although he still wasn't even 30, he was never the same force again.

He also showed us the calf on the affected leg & it was noticeably smaller than the other leg.

Haye looked a shadow of himself before his Achilles popped; I'd be hugely surprised if he does come back.

Bear in mind, it's not going to affect a fighter as much as a footballer.

Controversial wrote:Carl Froch says David Haye is "100 per cent" determined to fight again after speaking to the 36-year-old following an operation on his ruptured Achilles tendon.

The former world champion suffered the serious injury in Saturday's stoppage defeat to Tony Bellew at The O2, prompting boxing experts to express serious doubts about his future in the sport.

But Froch says Haye has ruled out retirement and still holds world title ambitions, although a rematch with Bellew is his top priority.

He's told me he wants to come again - 100 per cent. He said to me and I quote, 'I will win a heavyweight world title,' but I want the rematch with Bellew first.

Haye is 36 and will need possibly a full year before he can be anywhere near ready for any fight, whether that's Bellew or not. If a rematch hapenned and the injury was fine, the fight would pan out roughly the same as it did over the first six rounds. The next six rounds after that would see what would have hapenned on Saturday night if Haye hadn't of got injured. Bellew increasingly on the back foot, tiring, whilst doing occasional counters, whilst Haye would come forward decreasing the distance between the fighters. Eventually Haye would stop Bellew as he tired or win a unanimous points decision. Personally i think Haye's career is just about done and Bell will retire pretty soon anyway.