Haye cancelled three fights before an extended period out of the sport with injury, the last of which was against Fury, and the Londoner was roundly accused of being a serial runner from facing tough opposition.
The tables have seemingly turned on three-belt world heavyweight champion Fury over the weekend as irate punters took to social media to give the 27 year-old a piece of their mind over yet another disappointment.
Tyson Fury is a hypocrite. No different to David Haye pulling out of two fights. #TysonFuryisafraud #FuryKlitschko2
— Daniel (@dandstephens) September 23, 2016
@mrdavidhaye must be lol over @Tyson_Fury given the stick he gave him for pulling out when injured! Hopefully Haye will now get a shot!
— James Parry (@BigJimParry) September 24, 2016
Tyson fury is an embarrassment.. doing the very thing he's called David haye a coward for years for.. he must be scared himself..
— Lee Adshead (@leeadshead2012) September 24, 2016
@Tyson_Fury sort it out bro ! You're meant to be the man but are looking like Haye .. What's really happening brother ?
— Jack Henderson (@Jack_Henderson) September 24, 2016
After everything @Tyson_Fury said about David Haye… he does the same. What a massive hypocrite ????????????
— Ross (@_Rossdawson) September 24, 2016
Fury’s reputation could now be permanently damaged beyond repair after the Klitschko rematch was scrapped again, having already delayed the fight from the summer with an ankle injury.
Tickets have been purchased and re-purchased, hotels booked and travel plans made by fans for up to six months, only for Fury to nullify them all yet again to the fans disappointment.
The signs were all there that something wasn’t right at the recent press conference when Fury failed to show up and cited three or four excuses, but the man you must feel for most is Klitschko himself.
At 41, and with his time in the sport coming to an end, the Ukrainian boxing legend has lost a year of his career and should be able to fight for the vacant titles if the organisations involved do the right thing by him.
All in all, the whole debacle has left a sour taste in everyone’s mouths and cost Fury a heap of previously staunch supporters who no longer have faith in his ability to follow through with promises to fight.