By Mark Pickering: Former WBC bantamweight champion Wayne McCullough believes soon-to-be heavyweight contender David Haye has all the tools to follow his ambition of one-day becoming a mixed martial arts star. McCullough, 32, who become an official spokesman for the industry-leading Ultimate Fighting Championship last year, said: "Haye can already punch and he has natural strength, so he’d fit nicely into the MMA heavyweight division..”
Cruiserweight king Haye, who unified the division by beating Enzo Macarinelli in March, has spoke openly of his desire to compete in mixed martial arts and now has the backing of world champion boxer-turned MMA connoisseur McCullough.
“It’s good to see another world champion boxer, like myself, appreciate the sport of MMA,” said McCullough.
“He’s not a fool like a lot of boxers who think they can just step into the octagon and win fights purely with punches.”
The Hayemaker, whose currently chasing a much sought after clash with universally regarded number one heavyweight Wladimir Klitschko, previously told industry reporter Jim Page: “It’s just another challenge, I like to set myself goals and tasks and definitely fighting for the UFC heavyweight championship would be a real big thing for me and I’d do whatever was required to get that win.”
The 27-year-old added: “I’m a fighter, through and through – any kind of competition. I’d be a big underdog, and I’d actually like that. I like people writing me off.”
Haye intends to bow out of boxing while still in his prime and envisages a three-year stay in the sport’s most lucrative division.
The supremely confident London banger then intends to pursue MMA and call-out the sport’s elite heavyweights.
And when he does veteran McCullough thinks we could expect the unexpected: “who knows, maybe he’ll become a UFC Champion in time.”
