Haye fixed a fight: he needs to pay the price!

HAYE OFF THE HOOK WITH BBBC By Phil Barnett, Press Association Sport
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The British Boxing Board of Control are willing to accept David Haye's "categorical" denial he bet on himself to stop Audley Harrison in the third round of Saturday's WBA heavyweight title fight.

The Londoner made the boast he and his friends and family had made money from gambling in the immediate aftermath of the farcical destruction of hapless Harrison in Manchester at the weekend.

He clarified those claims today by saying he did not place a bet on himself, directly or indirectly - while board secretary Robert Smith accepted his version of events.
Haye told Radio 5 Live he said: "I didn't physically go into a betting shop and say 'here's x amount of money'. What I did say was I would knock Audley out in three rounds.

"If he came out earlier I would have knocked him out earlier. My prediction was the third round and I told a lot of people that."

Haye also denied having bets placed on his behalf, adding: "I don't need to. I made enough money from the fight anyway. I don't need to earn extra money, but I told a lot of people around me. It makes the fight a little more exciting for people."

Smith, ringside for the fight at the MEN Arena, told Press Association Sport: "David himself has denied it. He has denied he put any money on himself. He predicted the round and obviously people can listen to his prediction, but he has denied he physically got anybody or he himself went and put a bet on himself.

"We have a regulation in place that does not allow anybody to bet on a contest they are taking part in. So if he admitted it, he would have been in breach of that regulation. But he has denied it quite categorically."

Smith also played down the suggestion Haye deliberately did not try fully in the first two rounds in order to match his prediction.

"I don't think so," he said. "I was at the fight and to be honest with you, both of them were scared to get beaten, I think, in the first round.

"It's a bit like a football match. I was at Cardiff City v Swansea last week and they were (both) petrified of losing. It was a poor game. And I think in the fight David was wary of walking straight in on a big man like that, and Audley was wary of getting hit by a smaller bloke.

"I watched it again last night and although it wasn't the best first round I've ever seen, I can understand where they were coming from. But I think you have to say when David did open up, the man was hurt. He didn't fall down, he was hurt, and he got up to fight again.

"I was there, I didn't think anything of it at the time. Obviously with all the hullabaloo you think about these things but no, I'm satisfied there was nothing untoward going on."

Smith confirmed the board will scrutinise Harrison's pathetic performance but believes it would be "extremely harsh" to deny him his purse.

"We'll consider the reports," said Smith, himself a former fighter. "We have powers to withhold the money of any boxer we do not think has given 100%.

"I spent time with Audley on the day of the weigh-in, at the rules meeting and during the course of the day and I'm of the opinion he was convinced he was going to win. Absolutely convinced.

"The fact he didn't, and that he didn't really turn up, is very disappointing but he's got to live with that, ultimately.

"I think it would be extremely harsh to withhold money from him. However, the board will look at it when all the reports come in. But I wouldn't have thought so."

 

wow, 15? i wouldn't watch it if somebody paid me...

 

Good for you. :blood

 

Not that I followed the pre fight hype too closely, but I didn't read that anyplace.

I don't have a problem with it either way, but it was kinda stupid to say in public why he chose the 3rd round to KO a bum.

 

This is so ****ing dumb

 

:|

And?

Cry me a river.

 

Betting in sports is quite common, but it's only an issue when a sports person gives his opponent an advantage. For example, the spot betting scandal with the Pakistani cricketers. They knowingly gave England points and bet on it to make money. If a jockey was told by his trainer to finish last despite being the odds-on favourite, that would be illegal. If a football player bet on himself to get a red card, that would be illegal.

What Haye did was fine. Just like it would be fine if Usain Bolt bet on himself to break the world record or if Graeme Swann bets on himself to take 5 wickets in an innings. It's not cheating.

 

As opposed to just holding back because they are scared to throw a powerpunch like some other heavyweight champions, because that's clearly doing the sport a world of good. atsch

 

I heard that BBBoC is tentative to pay Harrison his salary.They feel that Fraudley didnt deserve it, and it already had a precedent that fighter wasnt paid for a fight

 

In his post-fight interview, Haye said: "I put a lot of money on the third round and a lot of my friends and family did. I didn't want to let them down by doing him too early. Ask around - I told everyone I'd knock him out in three rounds. That's exactly what I did. No way was he going into that fourth round."

With Haye's statement clear, board general secretary Robert Smith said: "It is against our regulations for boxers to bet on themselves."

The BBBoC definitely don't wanna drag down one their own (especially that major fee comes in from the fighter's promotinal company), but there's video evidence of Haye flat-out saying he bet on himself. What are we talking about?

 

And if he then says "I was lying, I didn't actually put any money on myself" what are they going to do?

 

I dont think he fixed the fight, its just that Harrison is so poor, can you make accurate predictions like that.

 

He may have said that in the post fight interview, but there is a very good chance that he was lying...and that he was just bragging.