David Haye: "I will tone down the trashtalking"

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ot...ality-check-in-the-Im-a-Celebrity-jungle.html

David Haye says he will tone down trash talk after reality check in the 'I'm a Celebrity' jungle


Heavyweight David Haye revealed on Saturday that an epiphany in the 'I’m a Celebrity' jungle changed his outlook on life and that he will tone down the trash talk ahead of his comeback to the ring on June 29 in Manchester.

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Some about-turn from the brazen self-publicist who once had T-shirts made depicting himself holding the severed heads of the two Klitschko brothers, who between them hold the four portions of the world heavyweight title.

“A lot of the stuff that I’ve said in the past has obviously been very close to the bone and it has got headlines. It seems like I don’t really need to do that any more,” admitted Haye, 32, who still sees himself as ‘Jack the Giant Slayer’ in the face of the Ukrainian pairing.

“I’ve got a wide enough demographic to be interested in me other than the hardened boxing fans. It’s hard to do a story about a boxer who only says, ‘I’m fighting this guy on this date’. I twigged a few years back that the media doesn’t just want a real happy, nice story. They want headlines. So I’ve done that in the past.”

Haye, whose record as a boxer remains of the highest order, admits his fan base has changed since he finished third on 'I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here'.

“I’ve definitely developed a different fan base now and it will be kind of strange for people to have watched me in the jungle just being myself and then for the cameras to be rolling and me saying, ‘I’m going to do this, I’m going to ---- this and that ...' People will be like, ‘Ooh, that’s a bit out of character’.”

Some might call that maturity. The T-shirts, however, got the prizefighter to where he wanted to be: in a ring with a Klitschko, in spite of the fact Wladimir schooled him over 12 rounds in Hamburg in the summer of 2011 in a unification contest, when Haye held the World Boxing Association title.

Haye has no regrets over the T-shirt. “That was actually one of the best things I ever did. It’s not the case that Vitali doesn’t want to fight me because 10 years ago I had a T-shirt with his head on it.

“When I did that I’d only had one heavyweight fight, I was just the cruiserweight champion, needing to cause some controversy. And it did. It was big news all over the world. I’ve got the T-shirts now. I’ll frame them one day, maybe wear it to the ring when I finally face Vitali.”

The reality TV series also earned Haye a legion of new female fans.

“Boxing historically hasn’t been a sport where girls go on their own, normally they get dragged there by their fellas, but this time, without a doubt, I’ve had so many requests for tickets from them wanting to see me fight.”

Haye’s brief flirtation with reality television also brought a degree of personal realisation.

“That’s my fill of reality TV. But I’m glad I did it. Although it was boring, it was like when people go to places like India on these spiritual or yoga retreats.

“Some sort of cleanse definitely went on while I was in there. It gave me a little bit more time to reflect on things. You’ve nothing to distract yourself, no text messaging, no internet, no clocks, you don’t even know what time it is. You’re just sitting in a jungle with rats and cockroaches flying about. It was the best sleep I’ve ever had because I knew the phone wasn’t around to bother me. I went in and truly switched off.”

Unlike when he steps into the ring, senses heightened, hunting a Klitschko. Or two. Never dull, Haye is back, for another ‘love me-hate me’ chapter in the public eye, a prizefighter at large.

 

Probably someone like Sosnowski, Charr, Briggs or Adamek.

 

Oh look, it's that really butthurt guy!

Hi really butthurt guy :hi:

 

Not sure but some mugs are already buying tickets before the opponent is even announced atsch

 

I wasn't talking about those people.

 

atsch

It was a joke about Vitali's opposition.

But, in actual fact, he is a poor HW.