David Haye has right ankle strapped after picking up injury against Tony Bellew to raise safety concerns
DAVID HAYE had his right ankle strapped after appearing to have damaged his Achilles against Tony Bellew.
The Hayemaker was seen limping around the ring almost on one leg at times during his 11th-round loss at the O2 Arena.
Haye battled on for five rounds after his injury struck - but some social media users expressed safety concerns.
In the build-up to the fight, Haye visited a doctor in Germany with what was believed to be an Achilles injury.
But the next day he admitted to making up the injury rumours, saying they were a 'red herring'.
It's not known at this stage whether the injury he sustained in the ring was an aggravation of something that happened before the fight.
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Even so, the 36-year-old will require surgery after being punched closer to retirement by Bellew.
The build-up to their heavyweight clash at the O2 was overshadowed by ugly bust-ups, with the Hayemaker even vowing to put Bellew in hospital.
And Everton fan Bellew admitted: “I was scared when I came in the ring for the first time in my life.
“But a switch flipped and I couldn’t give in. I’m a Scouser and I can’t give in. I don’t want to keep doing this.
“He was everything I was expecting, I was preparing for the biggest punching of my life. And I thought, ‘Jesus Christ, he hits really hard’.”
Asked about Haye’s injury struggle, Bellew added: “I whispered to him in the ring, ‘Stop, stop’. I also told Shane to stop it.”