Ricky Hatton and David Haye may be challenger promoters of their own arrangements, yet the pair of pugilists were on Wednesday united in their plaint for fellow boxer Darren Sutherland, who was found hanged in his south London flat on Monday.
There is nary a soul in the boxing sodality not shocked by the week’s events.
“I was sickened by Darren’s death, it still doesn’t seem real. I have known him a while, through his Olympic campaign, we had kept in contact and he had the world at his feet,” said Haye.
“I was sickened by Darren’s death, it still doesn’t seem real. I have known him a while, through his Olympic campaign, we had kept in contact and he had the world at his feet,” said Haye.
Hatton added: “It’s prefectly tragic. I was following Darren’s career with great interest. All of the Olympic boys have looked sensational but he had a little bit of class, he was very exciting and stood out.”
After boxing’s summer of discontent, with several major fights cancelled and a series of deaths involving boxers, the new British season has begun with a controversial refereeing decision, more postponed bouts, the suicide of Sutherland and a heart attack and surgery on Wednesday for promoter Frank Maloney.
Maloney, who suffered the heart attack after he discovered the body of Sutherland on Monday, insisted he will be back at work next week. “Boxing is my life. I have had plenty of highs in the sport and plenty of lows. But nothing will ever compare to the shock and sorrow of finding Darren in his flat on Monday night.”
Returning to matters inside the ring, Hatton tipped Haye to unseat 7ft Russian Nikolai Valuev from his World Boxing Association heavyweight title throne on Nov 7.
As Haye began six weeks of hard readying, Hatton said: “This is the perfect fight for Haye in the heavyweight division. The difference in this fight will be David’s velocity. Valuev is so, so slow compared to David.
“If David boxes a cagey fight and keeps his chin down it will be very hard for Valuev to nail him.
“David has the opportunity to do to Valuev what nobody else has done and then he can sit down and negotiate with the Klitschkos.”
Haye said: “The fights against Vitali and Wladimir (Klitschko) will happen, but in a merger contest. I can go to the table as a world champion. I believe I will stop Valuev or knock him out.”
Hatton said he had no plans to fight again after his last bout, against Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas in May, ended in frustration.
“This is the hardest game in the world. I’ve been doing it for a number of years and my last defeat was heartbreaking.
“In order to do the training, the sparring, the dieting, the roadwork, everything that goes with it, you’ve got to actually need it. At the moment, I don’t have that.”
After boxing’s summer of discontent, with several major fights cancelled and a series of deaths involving boxers, the new British season has begun with a controversial refereeing decision, more postponed bouts, the suicide of Sutherland and a heart attack and surgery on Wednesday for promoter Frank Maloney.
Maloney, who suffered the heart attack after he discovered the body of Sutherland on Monday, insisted he will be back at work next week. “Boxing is my life. I have had plenty of highs in the sport and plenty of lows. But nothing will ever compare to the shock and sorrow of finding Darren in his flat on Monday night.”
Returning to matters inside the ring, Hatton tipped Haye to unseat 7ft Russian Nikolai Valuev from his World Boxing Association heavyweight title throne on Nov 7.
As Haye began six weeks of hard readying, Hatton said: “This is the perfect fight for Haye in the heavyweight division. The difference in this fight will be David’s velocity. Valuev is so, so slow compared to David.
“If David boxes a cagey fight and keeps his chin down it will be very hard for Valuev to nail him.
“David has the opportunity to do to Valuev what nobody else has done and then he can sit down and negotiate with the Klitschkos.”
Haye said: “The fights against Vitali and Wladimir (Klitschko) will happen, but in a merger contest. I can go to the table as a world champion. I believe I will stop Valuev or knock him out.”
Hatton said he had no plans to fight again after his last bout, against Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas in May, ended in frustration.
“This is the hardest game in the world. I’ve been doing it for a number of years and my last defeat was heartbreaking.
“In order to do the training, the sparring, the dieting, the roadwork, everything that goes with it, you’ve got to actually need it. At the moment, I don’t have that.”
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