David Haye: I’m ditching trash talk for what could be my final fight against Tony Bellew

David Haye has asked himself a searching question: “Do I really just want to be remembered as someone who talked crap?”

Right now, his answer is “no”, which is why he has promised to avoid crass stunts and trash talk in the build-up to his return fight against Tony Bellew at the O2 Arena on May 5.

The former WBA world heavyweight champion admits it is a tough promise. Haye has been a specialist at the cheap publicity game although it backfired when he suffered a shock defeat against Bellew in March 2017.

But at 37 and facing the prospect that it could be his last big night in the ring, Haye says he is thinking about his legacy more than money.

He now understands, too, that he falls into a trap of his own making when he shouts the odds too loudly.

“I could add another million pounds to the earnings of this fight by throwing a glass of water at a press conference or slapping him,” he says.

But at what cost? “I don’t want to be known just for selling tickets and pay-per-view television. I’ve done that throughout my career.

“How about the merit of my work? At 37, I am thinking about how I want to be remembered.

“This may be my last fight even if I win. If I don’t win well and feel good about it, I won’t be carrying on. So the focus on what I have done in the ring is more important.

“I’ve done the same things to crank things up for so long that I could slip back into it. It will be tough to avoid it. So it’s another challenge for me to treat Tony Bellew as I would anyone else and not hurl abuse at him.”

Neither Haye or Bellew have fought since their first clash at the O2.

That night, Haye battled on for five rounds after snapping his Achilles tendon in his right leg before his trainer, Shane McGuigan, threw in the towel in the 11th round.

Bellew, who is no shrinking violet himself, is disdainful of his opponent’s pledge to play things straight. Haye, of course, was handed a £25,000 fine by the British Boxing Board of Control for his pre-fight brash words and insults.

But it is a signal of Haye’s changed attitude that he is training now at his own gym in Vauxhall after preparing for the first fight in Miami. Haye was then pictured working out on a £27million yacht. If it was an attempt to make Bellew look small-time in comparison, it failed dismally.

Haye, who as a promoter has been guiding the career of promising fellow heavyweight Joe Joyce, adds: “Sometimes you can crank things up so much you start believing in the crank.

“You start believing that the narrative you are spewing out is real. I know now that it doesn’t benefit me in the ring to immerse myself in all the stuff about destroying people.”

Haye and Bellew were originally scheduled to meet again last December. But a bicep injury — the latest in a long line of setbacks suffered by Haye — led to the rematch being postponed.

After an enforced absence from the ring between the summer of 2012 and the start of 2016, during which time he had his right shoulder rebuilt, Haye is aware of how quickly things can go wrong regarding injuries. He will have the same concerns even if he beats Bellew and manages to find a way back into the world championship mix, in which Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder are the dominant figures.

He adds: “The last training camp was going so well. Then I tripped down a flight of stairs and ruptured the bicep. Who could have foreseen that? Now I’ve taken a step back and I am enjoying every session, every meal, every sunset.Against Bellew, I was swinging until the bitter end. Happily, I was in good enough shape to do that despite the Achilles injury. It was a knife through the heart to have the towel come in when I thought I had more to give.

“But Shane did what he felt was right and he was saving me for another day. I wouldn’t want to finish like that. I want to finish on a win. You want to be at peace at the end of your career.”