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Home » Exclusive: David Haye outlines promotional vision, aims to ‘maximise the pot’ for fighters

Exclusive: David Haye outlines promotional vision, aims to ‘maximise the pot’ for fighters

The 36 year-old, who is aiming to stay active and challenge for a world title in 2017, discusses his new role with Hayemaker Ringstar, a promotional company set-up alongside for Golden Boy chief Richard Schaefer last month.

In the mould of the current PBC model launched by Al Haymon, Haye aims to make sure the fighters added to their stable are well provided for as they’re the ones who put it all on the line.

The upcoming show in London against Bellew will represent Hayemaker Ringstar’s maiden show of a new era for the ex-cruiserweight king who detailed his thoughts on a role which will become his future once Haye eventually steps away from trading blows himself.

“Promoting has always been my long-term plan and what Richard has done throughout his career with Golden Boy, Floyd Mayweather and now with Ringstar, he’s proved he’s a premium promotional force on the planet,” Haye exclusively told World Boxing News.

“I’d like to do something similar to Richard in the UK, and he’s always been a friend of mine – someone I’ve spoken to for advice, so I told him what my plans where for the UK and he said, ‘yeah’ as we both had the same sort of vision.

“It’s about putting the fighter first and making sure the younger generation coming through reap the rewards of all their hard work and receive the lion’s share of every situation – maximising the pot.

“Everything has worked out great for us to do it as a joint venture, so Hayemaker and Ringstar came together as 50-50 partners on signings and promoting events in the UK.

Asked whether he now finds himself with a different mindset in the gym, scouting the younger fighters as potential signings, Haye added: “I’ve always got a keen eye for talent and the way people market fighters, but a lot of fighters come and talk to me anyway because they know I’ve been there and done it. I’ve been a professional for fourteen years, it’s a long time, so I know all the tricks of the trade and all the characters of the sport. I also know what’s a good deal and what’s a bad deal, so fighters feel like they can trust me. Whether they sign with me or not, they always feel they can get some good advice and I like helping out fighters.”

He continued: “I remember when I first turned professional I had no real knowledge of the sport. I had to kind of figure it out as I went. Whereas other fighters won’t have to do that. I can give them the advice and guide them if they want it, so it’s nice as I know how hard it is to train and be in this sport.

“I look at contracts from the fighter’s point of view and obviously know what works and what doesn’t work.”

Haye’s venture will see any new signings enjoy the benefits of competing on both sides of the Atlantic as Schaefer’s connestions Stateside have been joined by a French flavor following the addition of talented 2016 Olympic super-heavyweight champion Tony Yoka to the ranks.

“This partnership will give fighters the opportunity to appear on Ringstar shows in the United States or France and vice versa. Also, those fighters who are based in the US or France will have the chance to come and fight in the UK on our shows here.

“It’s worked out nice and is something I’ve wanted to do for a while but I was out of action. This upcoming show on March 4 against Tony Bellew is the first official show involving Hayemaker Ringstar in a co-promotion with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom, so it’s going really well early on and we are maximizing this event.

“I think people will see that it will have a lot more hype and a lot more excitement. There will be different things happening around the fight compared to your average show so sit back and enjoy it,” added Haye.

Watch David Haye vs Tony Bellew exclusively live on Sky Sports Box Office – March 4 from The 02 Arena in London

Phil Jay is Editor of World Boxing News. Follow on Twitter @PhilDJay