UKTV’s leading free-to-air entertainment channel Dave has secured the exclusive UK rights for former two-weight world champion David Haye’s latest fight as he continues his comeback to the ring. ‘Haye Day’ will once again air on Dave, live from The O2 on Saturday 21 May.
A peak audience of 3.2 million people tuned into Dave in January to watch ‘The Hayemaker’ return to the ring for the first time in three and a half years and knock out Mark de Mori in 131 seconds.
Haye, one of only two boxers to have unified the cruiserweight division and won the heavyweight world title, now turns his attention to Arnold ‘The Cobra’ Gjergjaj – the EE-EU heavyweight champion from Kosovo who is unbeaten in 29 fights (21 KOs).
‘The Cobra’ has real pedigree having sparred with some of the biggest names in boxing including current WBA, WBO and IBO heavyweight world champion, Tyson Fury, and the man he won those titles from, Wladimir Klitschko.
Also fighting on the Haye Day bill is former two-time world heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs, with the view to a showdown with David Haye later in the year if both are victorious. Nicknamed ‘The Cannon’, Briggs brings a wealth of experience with a record of 59 wins (52 KOs) and six loses.
Briggs has been actively pursuing a fight with The Hayemaker for a number of months but will have to overcome former European heavyweight champion Alexander Dimitrenko, who boasts a record of 38 wins (24 KOs) and only two losses, in order to secure a future fight with Haye.
Haye Day will also see two Essex-based middleweights fight for the English title as ‘Smokin’ Joe Mullender takes on Lee ‘Banjo’ Markham over 10 rounds. The personal rivalry between the two hard hitting, all-action middleweights provides the ideal warm-up with neither fighter willing to taking a backward step in what promises to be a battle that goes the distance.
Commenting on the announcement, David Haye said:
“I’m thrilled that my latest fight will once again be free-to-air on Dave. I was overwhelmed with the peak audience of 3.2 million who tuned in to my fight against Mark de Mori. Boxing is booming in the UK right now and these figures prove it. I always said I wanted to bring boxing back to the masses and in partnership with UKTV we really did do that in January.”
He added:
“I was really impressed with the coverage and production of my comeback fight and I’m looking forward to once again be fighting on Dave and taking the sport to a broader audience. This Haye Day will feature a longer live show with an even better undercard and more musical entertainment. It promises to once again be a must-watch event.”
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