David Haye describes how his Achilles was ‘like spaghetti’ after suffering horror injury in loss to Tony Bellew that felt like ‘falling into a bear trap’
DAVID HAYE has described the gruesome moment his Achilles snapped as feeling like "falling into a bear trap".
The injury left Haye essentially fighting on one leg against Tony Bellew, and contributed to his corner throwing the towel in, a move Haye admits "saved him for another day".
The heavyweight boxer underwent surgery a day after the fight, and is expected to be out of action for between six and nine months.
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And in an interview with Sky Sports News he recalled that moment in the sixth round that swung the domestic dust-up at the 02 Arena, London.
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He said: "It felt like my leg went into a bear trap, the floor opened up and bit me, I couldn’t control it.
"I’ve never had anything happen like this before, frantic corner, people not knowing what to do.
"I never for once thought 'I got to stop'. In hindsight continuing to walk on it was making the injury worse.
"But when you’re in fight mode, you’re willing to die in the ring, and push your body to the limit.
"If the same happened to [Tony] Bellew, he would have been there swinging. You just have to keep going.
"That fight shows the world what boxing is really about."
Haye went on to say he was "gutted" when he realised his trainer Shane McGuigan had thrown the towel in in the 11th round after he had been knocked through the ropes by Bellew.
He added "I couldn’t have tried any harder. I was gutted when Shane threw the towel in.
"When they opened up my Achilles during the two-and-a-half hour operation, it was a mess, it was like spaghetti. So I may have been saved for another day."
The injury suffered by the 36-year-old Bermondsey man seemingly confirmed what many boxing fans had feared in the build-up - that he was carrying an injury going into the fight.
Just days before Saturday's blockbuster, Haye had jetted to Munich in Germany to see private surgeon Professor Andreas Imhoff, a specialist in trauma surgery.
It was believed at the time that it was a problem concerning the Achilles.
Yet Haye has vehemently denied this was anything to do with the injury suffered in the ring on Saturday night.
He said: "It was completely unrelated to my right Achilles. Everyone assumes it’s something to do with it. It was completely different, maybe in years to come we will all know.
"But I couldn’t have tried any harder."
The former heavyweight champion of the world is now preparing for some extended time out of the ring, but insists his career is far from over.
He added: "Other athletes have come back, I’m in good condition, I live a very healthy lifestyle.
"I have never been more sure that I will fight again, 100 per cent. I've got no other aches and pains apart from the leg.
"[The operation] went well, they’ve done a similar operation on other athletes, long jumpers, high jumpers, basketball players, they had them and come back in their 30s.
"I'm looking forward to getting back in there."