Fort Lauderdale, USA, February 10, 2017 - Former heavyweight champion David “The Hayemaker” Haye revealed his training secret while attending the Fort Lauderdale Major on Friday.
Haye, who is scheduled to fight Tony Bellew on March 4 in London, is training in Miami. Taking advantage of the location, he has been training on the sand, playing beach volleyball earlier this week.
“While I am in Miami, I have been incorporating some sand training to give myself a little bit of an advantage before I get to London on solid ground,” Haye said.
Haye served as a special guest commentator for The Sport Bible during an elimination match Friday afternoon that was won by April Ross and Kerri Walsh Jennings.
It was his first time watching professional beach volleyball in person.
“This can make anybody a beach volleyball fan,” Haye said. “This is a real lovely setup. The hospitality was fantastic. The fans were amazing. It really was an entertaining day.”
Haye was born in London, but he did not have an opportunity to see beach volleyball at the 2012 Games.
“I really wanted to go to the London Olympics, but unfortunately I was in Jamaica at the time and I missed out on it,” he said. “But I saw where they had it, and it looked amazing.”
Haye was very impressed by the athleticism of Walsh Jennings, a three-time Olympic champion.
“I thought I was a tall guy, but she is taller than me,” Haye said. “It was really something to see someone so athletic with so much endurance.”
Haye enjoys playing beach volleyball, but he still considers himself a beginner.
“I look terrible,” he said. “I haven’t gotten my sand legs yet. I think it will take a few months to get those.”
He only lasted about 10 minutes on the sand before he got tired.
“I couldn’t believe how difficult it was,” Haye said. “My legs were burning. My quads, my calves… I am going to stick with boxing. It’s way easier.”
Haye was told that former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis attended the 2016 World Tour Finals in Toronto, and was asked who would be a better beach volleyball player. Haye pointed out that he is 6-foot-3, while Lewis is 6-foot-5.
“He might have a little bit of an advantage over me,” Haye said.
