David Haye and Tyson Fury are now set to fight on Feb. 8, 2014. The heavyweights were originally scheduled to face off this weekend, but Haye was forced to postpone the bout due to an injury suffered during training.
Haye's official site updated the situation:
Former WBA world heavyweight champion David Haye will now face unbeaten Tyson Fury on Saturday, February 8, 2014 at Manchester's Phones 4u Arena, following the postponement of their original date in September.
The outspoken heavyweight pair were scheduled to box at the same venue this Saturday (September 28), in what was billed as the British fight of the year, but a cut to Haye's left eye, picked up in sparring last Friday, scuppered the fight and the entire event.
And here's a look at the cut suffered by the 32-year-old veteran that caused the rescheduling:
The hype was starting starting to reach a fever pitch when it was announced Haye wouldn't be able to make the September date. Luckily, the sides were able to come together to find a new time so the bout didn't have to get completely scrapped.
Haye should have no trouble getting back to full strength by early February. He certainly didn't want to head into a fight with a powerful opponent like Fury sporting a huge gash above his eye, which would have provided a clear target for his younger counterpart.
In the announcement, Haye explained why his action leading up to the bout were nothing out of the ordinary and provided some entertaining comments directed toward Fury.
"Also, look at the history books. George Foreman sparred and got cut eight days before his 'Rumble in the Jungle' with Muhammad Ali—causing a six-week postponement—and Sugar Ray Leonard sparred and got knocked down five days before his fight with Marvin Hagler, but still managed to go on and win.
"Foreman and Leonard are two of the greatest fighters of all-time, so if it was good enough for them, it's certainly good enough for little old me. Not only that, those guys were preparing to face the likes of Ali and Hagler, while I was preparing to fight Tyson Fury, a man whose greatest triumph to date is shedding a few stone on Belgium's Biggest Loser fat camp."
Since fans won't be able to see the duo battle in the ring this weekend, perhaps some verbal warfare can help make sure the fight is able to maintain the hype until February. Haye is clearly looking forward to the bout.
Rightfully so, it's a chance for him to prove he still has plenty left in the tank. For Fury, he's looking for a marquee win that can help take his career to the next level. He's undefeated through 21 fights, but was often facing overmatched opponents.
That won't be the case when he takes on Haye in February.
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