Former heavyweight boxing champion David Haye meets fans at Vauxhall gym

By Alex Christian and Lewis Garfield

David Haye opened his Vauxhall gym doors to his devoted fans for the first time on Saturday and stayed until the last boxing glove was signed.

MEET AND GREET: Haye posed for pictures and signed autographs for fans

Advertisement

Fanatics waited for up to four hours outside the former WBA heavyweight champion’s Randall Road gym after the British boxing great tweeted the event on Friday.

The Hayemaker said: “It’s great meeting all the fans, the people who have paid to see me all over the world – so I’m trying to give a little something back.

“I will definitely do something like this again, no doubt. I got a lot of Twitter messages from fans who couldn’t get down to South London so I’m definitely doing another one, maybe up North as well.”

Advertisement

And the former unified Cruiserweight World Champion, 31, added: “It’s a bit harsh expecting people from all over to come down to London. But it’s crazy – I’ve had fans from Germany, fans from France, fans from all over.”

There was a buzz along the winding queue as excited fans met Haye for the very first time in a storied decade-long career.

Advertisement

First in line was boxing fanatic Peter Simpson, 26, who travelled all the way from Edinburgh to meet his hero.

He said: “I’ve been to David’s last three fights, including the Wladimir Klitschko one in Germany.

“I travelled from Scotland to be here but it was too big an opportunity to turn down. I thought David was really friendly and happy to talk about boxing.”

Advertisement

The Hayemaker is looking for a fight against reining WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko in 2013, but only if the Ukrainian fails in his political campaign.

Peter added: “I’d like David to fight Vitali and he seems quite confident that it’ll happen.”

Advertisement

Zoe Ludford, 27, who grew up in Bermondsey just streets away from the boxing icon, said: “Haye-Chisora at West Ham was the first professional fight I’ve ever seen – I thought it was brilliant.”

With Haye’s biography in hand, she added: “I got soaked standing ringside but it was a really good fight, he put on a really good show.”

Haye’s trainer and manager Adam Booth was also busy at the open day, arriving in the Mercedes Haye reportedly bought him after the Dereck Chisora press-conference brawl in Munich.

Advertisement

Signed fight memorabilia from Haye’s most famous clashes decorated the star’s training gym walls and plenty of past fight posters were handed out to fans.

An old gym-mate of Haye’s and professional boxer Mark ‘The Flash’ Alexander, said: “It’s great to see your old gym buddy. David’s had a great career and is in a great position now – the world is his oyster.

Advertisement

“I believe he will get the fight with Vitali Klitschko. And if he beats Vitali surely the younger brother will want to avenge that. David would get his ‘Lucky Six’ twice by getting two shots at the title, fighting both Klitschkos.”

He added: “But it is Klitschko or retirement for David.”

Regardless, Haye will always be a champion in his fans’ eyes, as they proved on Saturday in their masses.

Advertisement