David Haye Looks Set to Make Boxing Comeback

David Haye is making a comeback. The polarizing boxer has not fought since July 2012, where he decimated fellow Brit Dereck Chisora in their grudge match in front of 40,000 fans at West Ham's Upton Park football stadium.

The Hayemaker had been advised to retire by doctors having pulled out of two fights against Wladimir Klitschko's next opponent: the brash "King of the Gypsies" Tyson Fury.

Haye was first slated to fight Fury in September 2013. But, a week before the fight, the Bermondsey brawler had to have the contest postponed due to sustaining a cut to the head. The rescheduled bout was due to take place in February 2014. But, Haye suffered another injury in November which required serious shoulder surgery—an operation so serious his doctors advised him to retire from combat sports altogether.

While Haye never formally announced his retirement, he made plenty of noise to suggest that was the route he was taking in his life. He aroused rumors of hanging up the gloves by closing his gym in Vauxhall, London before selling his boxing ring on eBay for £65,700. But, in September 2014 news surfaced about Haye splitting with long-time trainer Adam Booth. Many fans and pundits alike pondered: Why would you split from your coach if you weren't planning on fighting in the future?

Under Booth, Haye didn't do too badly with a string of world titles to his name including the WBA Heavyweight title, and the WBA (Super), WBO, WBC and The Ring Cruiserweight belts. A run which also saw him destroy Russian goliath Nikolai Valuev. So the split between Haye and Booth was surprising at the time given Haye's hiatus from in-ring action.

However, the news that emerged yesterday also revealed who the 'Hayemaker' is entrusting to take him back to world championship level: Shane McGuigan. Shane is the son of Irish boxing legend Barry McGuigan and is a highly reputable boxing coach in his own right.

It was this reputation and his work with Belfast's super-bantamweight world champion Carl Frampton. Haye, speaking to the press, said: "Carl's speed, timing, accuracy and punch variety is something that I didn't have in my arsenal. The guy behind that is Shane, so he was the guy I sought out."

With the persistent injuries which blighted the latter stages of Haye's pre-hiatus career, it remains to be seen if he will compete at the level he had enjoyed before—if at all. But, he appears determined to make a good fist of it, adding: "There's nothing in the everyday world that can give you the same buzz as walking to a ring with 20,000 screaming for a fight. I can understand why boxers keep coming back—especially now being one of them."