Time for the 'Hayemaker' to call it a day


Steve Luckings
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David Haye record

Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4

It was a sad way to end it all. David Haye, the man who not so long ago was tasked with rescuing the heavyweight division, reeling, unsteady on his feet, being told he had had enough, on the end of yet another defeat.

Haye, the Bermondsey boy who grew up a stone's throw away from London's 02 Arena, scene of his latest downfall at the hands of Tony Bellew, booed by his home crowd, sent into what his supporters and those concerned with any sportsman's well-being hope will be permanent retirement.

It was a second damaging defeat to Bellew in the space of 14 months. Whereas Haye's body gave out on him - not for the first time it must be said - in the first contest in March 2017, it was Bellew's clubbing overhand rights over the top of Haye's jab, so often his weapon of choice, that put paid to him this time. It's the way Haye would least have wanted to bow out: outsmarted and outgunned by a man he considered inferior.

It's all a far cry from "The Haymaker" version 1. The Englishman's good looks, trash talking, god-like physique and devastating punching power - a promoter's dream - became too big for the cruiserweight division, one where Haye suffered just one defeat in 22 contests and held the European, WBA, WBC and WBO belts.

Stepping up to the big leagues, Haye was tasked with injecting dynamism and fun into the heavyweights - boxing's blue riband division - one that was in the vice-like death grips of the Klitschko brothers for too long.

David Haye, right, takes a jab from Wladimir Klitschko during their heavyweight fight in Hamburg, Germany, in July 2011. Getty Images
David Haye, right, takes a jab from Wladimir Klitschko during their heavyweight fight in Hamburg, Germany, in July 2011. Getty Images

Like David felled Goliath, Haye would conquer the Russian giant Nikolai Valuev to win the WBA heavyweight title in November 2009. Victories over John Ruiz and Audley Harrison put him on a collision course with Wladimir Klitschko, the IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight champion.

Before that 2011 fight in Hamburg, Haye had the world at his feet. Sadly for him, a broken toe on his right foot hampered him as the Ukrainian took a unanimous decision.

Injuries would be a recurring theme for Haymaker 2.0 as would more unsavoury scenes that gave critics of the sweet science plenty of stick in which to beat it with. An ugly post-fight fracas with Dereck Chisora following his loss to Klitschko which resulted in Haye smashing a bottle into his fellow Englishman's face still leaves an unpleasant taste in the mouth.

Haye was forced to pull out of fights against Manuel Charr and Tyson Fury due to injury and underwent shoulder reconstruction surgery in November 2013 that had prompted his first retirement. After two comeback fights that were little more than glorified workouts, disaster would strike for Haye against Bellew in March 2017.

Seemingly having the better of the early exchanges, Haye's Achilles blew out on him in Round 6, causing him to fall over twice before he was knocked out of the ring in Round 11 before his corner finally saw sense and ended the fight.

Haye fell down some stairs ahead of their slated December 2016 rematch. And although Haye looked in as good as physical shape as he ever has, Bellew's ability to bully, lay traps and make Haye miss for much of Saturday's five rounds were a sad indictment of a fighter in decline.

Having tasted the canvas twice before referee Howard Foster called a halt to proceedings, many of his detractors will feel Haye got his comeuppance against Bellew. But behind the braggadocio lies a supreme talent who cares deeply about boxing, one who's razor-sharp tongue was matched by his laser-like fists. Though some find him crass and potty mouthed, Haye is impossibly polite off camera. He understands the game of selling tickets and getting people to part with their money to tune in on pay-per-view.

They say fighters are always the last to know when it's time to leave the party. If Haye has any doubts the time has come for him to grab his coat and call a taxi, the fact he still has his health, film-star looks, money in the bank as well as a lifetime of memories of thrilling knockouts that left fans on the edge of their seats should be enough to ease the pain.

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WHAT IS GRAPHENE?

It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.

Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.

By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.

In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE v Ireland

1st ODI, UAE win by 6 wickets

2nd ODI, January 12

3rd ODI, January 14

4th ODI, January 16

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The specs: 2019 Infiniti QX50

Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 268hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy: 6.7L / 100km (estimate)

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Cricket World Cup League 2 Fixtures

Saturday March 5, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy (all matches start at 9.30am)

Sunday March 6, Oman v Namibia, ICC Academy

Tuesday March 8, UAE v Namibia, ICC Academy

Wednesday March 9, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy

Friday March 11, Oman v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium

Saturday March 12, UAE v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium

UAE squad

Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Muhammad Waseem, CP Rizwan, Vriitya Aravind, Asif Khan, Basil Hameed, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Karthik Meiyappan, Akif Raja, Rahul Bhatia

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES

SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities

Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails

Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies

Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments

Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi

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For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.

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Al Mrzab Restaurant

For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.

Al Derwaza

For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup. 

Tips to stay safe during hot weather
  • Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
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Price: From Dh801,800
What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

RESULT

Deportivo La Coruna 2 Barcelona 4
Deportivo:
Perez (39'), Colak (63')
Barcelona: Coutinho (6'), Messi (37', 81', 84')

THE LIGHT

Director: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

Rating: 3/5

THE SPECS

Engine: 3.5-litre supercharged V6

Power: 416hp at 7,000rpm

Torque: 410Nm at 3,500rpm

Transmission: 6-speed manual

Fuel consumption: 10.2 l/100km

Price: Dh375,000 

On sale: now 

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THE SPECS

Touareg Highline

Engine: 3.0-litre, V6

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Power: 340hp

Torque: 450Nm

Price: Dh239,312

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Brief scores:

Toss: Kerala Knights, opted to fielf

Pakhtoons 109-5 (10 ov)

Fletcher 32; Lamichhane 3-17

Kerala Knights 110-2 (7.5 ov)

Morgan 46 not out, Stirling 40

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

Yuki Means Happiness
Alison Jean Lester
John Murray 

The specs: 2018 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet

Price, base: Dh429,090

Engine 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8

Transmission Seven-speed automatic

Power 510hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque 700Nm @ 1,750rpm

Fuel economy, combined 9.2L / 100km

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David Haye record

Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4